Harrogate-based S&SA Architects will be expanding the company to Leeds city centre.

The architect practice, which operates out of a head office in Harrogate, will open its new office at Park House in Park Square in April.

The company had continued to grow during the pandemic and received several notable commissions in the healthcare and residential sectors, which created a demand for its expansion.

Inside the new office at Park House Credit: S&SA Architects

It plans to recruit people in roles at all levels, including in apprenticeship and senior positions.

Chris Paraskos, associate architect at S&SA Architects, said:

“We’re incredibly excited about this expansion. The office location is easily accessible for our diverse London and Leeds clients, being only a few moments’ walk from the station.

“It also offers all our staff the ability to work flexibly at home and across both offices. It will encourage collaboration between teams and better wellbeing, which is a part of our cultural response to the changing world of hybrid work post covid.”

S&SA Architects specialises in residential, retail, logistics, healthcare, sports and leisure sectors. Clients include Tesco, Keepmoat, Exemplar Healthcare and Broadacres.

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A care worker has said she backs measures to restrict visitors to care homes in the Harrogate district as they put the health of residents first.

Cheryl Allan, a care supervisor at a care home in Harrogate, said while she understands the concerns of relatives, limiting the spread of covid 19 among vulnerable people was vital.

North Yorkshire County Council introduced a seven-day restriction on visitors in September, before announcing it would be extended for the whole of October.

Mrs Allan said:

“It’s sad for the residents and their families. We were allowing residents to see their families – socially distanced – but there is new legislation and we have to follow that.

“The residents do understand, and their health and well-being is our main priority.”

Mrs Allan said the residents were good at supporting each other, along with the staff ensuring they stayed positive and did not feel lonely.

“They enjoy chatting and socialising with each other and with staff. We have a group who sit out every evening and chat and have a drink together.

“The doctors have been in touch and we’ve got plans in place for people who do suffer with mental health. We’re trying to keep their routines as similar to before lockdown as possible.”

Like many care homes, Mrs Allan said the residential home where she works – which she asked us not to name – has been using technology to enable residents to video call their families while they could not meet in person.

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Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has said care homes should be allowed visitors who can see relatives through a pane of glass. While one daughter of a patient with dementia told the Stray Ferret this can cause extra distress, Mrs Allen said it was a positive experience for some of the people she worked with.

One resident was able to speak to her daughter on the phone while waving through the windows, which she said benefitted both. For residents who are less confident with technology, Mrs Allan said this offered a good alternative.

However, she said suggestions of nominating one relative for each resident, offering them a weekly test and enabling them to visit would be impractical.

“I don’t think it would work. Staff are testing weekly and residents monthly. In between visitors being tested, you could pick it up and we wouldn’t know. It would work in some ways, but there’s a chance you could bring it in without realising.

“The residents’ health is the most important thing and we have to protect that.”