31 Oct 2023
Pennard Vets says its 11,500 sq ft conversion of a former three-storey Sevenoaks office building will create one of the largest and most advanced practices in the south-east.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Pennard Vets director Matthew Flann (left) and Gary Page from construction contractor Re-Gen UK Construction.
An independent Kent-based veterinary group says its plans for a former office block in Sevenoaks will create jobs and one of the south-east’s largest and most advanced practices.
Pennard Vets signed a lease on an 11,500 sq ft, three-storey former office building in the summer, and work has now started on its “transformation into a new cutting-edge veterinary practice”.
The build will create separate dog, cat and exotic wards; a CT scanner; a dental suite; and a privately accessed bereavement room, while the practice will house the group’s 24-hour emergency hospital.
“First-class” team breakout areas; four meeting rooms; and an energy-efficient heating, cooling and ventilation system are also part of the plans.
Work could be completed in the spring, when the group will relocate from its current Sevenoaks practice 100m away in Eardley Road – where Pennard moved in 1895. That in turn was around the corner from where the business founded in 1890.
Pennard has eight practices in Kent with a team of 150, and in 2021 became the largest group to be transferred into employee ownership as an employee ownership trust.
Matthew Flann, a director from Pennard Vets, said: “This expansion follows years of planning and searching for the right premises, but when this building became available, we immediately knew it was right for us. It’s very modern with plenty of parking and is highly accessible, as well as being very close to our current practice.
“Crucially, it gives us an ideal layout, as well as being more than twice as big as our existing site. This means all our canine clinical work will be on one level, with two specialist dog operating theatres; a dedicated exotics ward, which is a big growth area for us; as well as a separate cat theatre and ward, which will be situated on its own in a quiet part of the building on the floor above.
“We’re also investing heavily to create an advanced CT scanning suite that will be operated by several newly appointed team members, which will further enhance the level of service that our clients benefit from.”
