Moya Cole Hospice A Vision Realised

It includes spaces for bereavement and family support, a welcoming village street with a café, and modern outpatient services, all designed to feel less clinical.

The layout encourages social interaction and patient well-being, with landscaped gardens and flexible therapy areas that provide a calming atmosphere. The state-of-the-art training facilities will support health professionals across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, contributing to quality care and development.

PRP’s design reimagines the hospice environment, placing emphasis on patient dignity and community. Every detail, from single-storey inpatient units to therapeutic gardens, has been carefully considered to create a space where patients can feel both comforted and empowered in their day-to-day activities.

1971 - today

Opened by The Queen Mother in 1971, the Moya Cole Hospice in Heald Green has long served as a cornerstone of palliative care across Greater Manchester. Operating from a historic Victorian building, the hospice provides holistic treatment, including inpatient symptom control, day services, specialised therapies, counselling, and its “Hospice@Home” program.

While the Victorian setting offered a dignified atmosphere for decades, it eventually presented significant operational limitations that hindered the delivery of modern, high-level care. Recognising that the aging infrastructure could no longer match the excellence of the clinical team, a search for a long-term solution began.

In 2014, PRP was appointed to conduct a comprehensive consultation and options appraisal. Through six focused groups, it was determined that a radical approach was necessary: the construction of a purpose-built hospice on adjacent land. This new facility was designed with defined, modern spaces to enhance patient experience and operational efficiency.

To turn this vision into reality, the “Build it Together” campaign was launched. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the Heald Green community and supporters across the region, the final £2 million fundraising target was successfully reached. This milestone paved the way for the construction of the new Moya Cole Hospice, ensuring that the legacy of the dedicated care continued in a world-class facility.

The Site and Building

The scheme layout responds to historic field boundaries, creating a development that feels settled and established from the outset. A northern access road forms the main spine for vehicles and pedestrians, linking to nearby housing, while a discreet southern avenue separates undertaker traffic to ensure privacy.

The main entrance is set back into the site, sheltered by a natural landscape envelope that provides immediate seclusion. Landscape buffers protect neighbours and enhance mature trees, while gardens and courtyards are woven into the building footprint to improve site organisation and provide a sense of calm.

The hospice layout centres on a welcoming eastern entrance, leading into a shared reception that directs visitors to the Coffee Shop, Being You Centre, or In-Patients Unit.

The ground floor “Village Street” acts as a vibrant social hub featuring a café, retail, and salon spaces designed to counter the isolation often felt in healthcare settings. It is flooded with light from an internal courtyard, ensuring nature remains a constant visual presence. The Being You Centre serves as an outpatient sanctuary, with therapy lounges and a specialised rehab gait terrace where floor-to-ceiling glazing blurs the boundary between inside and out.

A link corridor separates these public social zones from the In-Patients Unit, which is arranged around a private courtyard with 21 en-suite rooms. Each room is designed as a personal sanctuary with direct, level access to the outdoors, allowing beds to be moved into the fresh air. Staff offices occupy a light-filled first floor, elevated to provide a mental break from clinical duties, with views into the surrounding tree canopy.

Landscape

The Hospice Landscape Masterplan creates a biodiverse, healing environment, defined by timber, glass, and brick structures framed by native planting. The design retains mature trees and introduces wildflower meadows and tree-lined routes.

Patient-accessible courtyards ensure every bedroom has direct, level access to the outdoors, allowing families to sit amongst the greenery. Distinct gardens include a Woodland Garden, a Sensory Garden with a labyrinth, a Quiet Reflection Garden, and a Rehab Garden. Throughout the site, rain gardens and covered walkways integrate the facility into the natural world, ensuring that nature is a fundamental part of the therapeutic care experience.