The Phoenix Cabin

The project will replace our existing small and ageing offices (a few old portacabins ‘stuck together’) with a modern, bespoke building. This will offer larger, more flexible, appropriate accommodation for training, catering and office activities. The new, fit for purpose, fully accessible, environmentally-friendly cabin will comprise:
Office – to accommodate two workstations; Meeting / quiet room - to accommodate a maximum of eight persons; Reception / meet and greet area; Toilets – Two separate toilets to include 1 mixed-use disabled WC; Kitchen and dining area - to accommodate a maximum of thirty persons.
The current cabin is very energy-inefficient and we incur high costs from heating during winter. In addition, we often need to make emergency repairs to the roof and overhaul the kitchen due to damp. The new building focuses on eco-efficiency, including comfort cooling units, fully double-glazed windows, fully insulated walls, floors and ceilings, using low energy appliances throughout, leading to running costs being expected to reduce on completion even though building footfall and usage will increase significantly.
This will enable us to provide life skills’ training and work opportunities for more local people with a learning disability, resulting in improved skills and work opportunities, reduced isolation and improved mental health and wellbeing for those taking part.
It will also provide a new community space in the village of Milton and the surrounding area including nearby Cambridge to be used by the whole community. The village has a population of 4,500 people but currently there are insufficient spaces available to meet the needs of local community groups and community members. The building will provide a new, well-equipped, modern space that will be available to hire during evenings and weekends to local community groups wanting to run their own activities and needing a well-equipped space to do this. This will generate additional income for Phoenix to reinvest in our social business and charitable activities. It will also help to create social inclusion and community cohesion here in Milton bringing together the whole community and promoting integration.