Hampshire County Council

Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel

20 May 2003

Executive Member - Policy and Resources

12 June 2003

Marchwood Junior School

Report by the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services

1

Summary

1.1

Marchwood Junior School is a relatively new school constructed in 1985 and is situated in the heart of the village. There are currently 329 pupils attending the school aged between seven and ten years and the school has five temporary classrooms in three temporary buildings on site. The number on roll is anticipated to fall slightly in the future.

1.2

An allocation has been included in the Education Committee's 2003/04 Capital Programme for the rationalisation of the places at this school. Further funding has been allocated from the 2003/04 New Deal for Schools (NDS) Modernisation fund for the provision of permanent teaching accommodation, to replace temporary buildings which will be removed from site. The school has also made a contribution towards this project. The proposed additional accommodation will enable the school to become a ten class junior school with additional improvements to the specialist teaching and learning accommodation.

1.3

The Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services has progressed the design of the proposed additional accommodation and the purpose of this report is to outline the design proposals and seek approval to the attached design project appraisal at an estimated cost of £606,000 excluding fees.

2.

Scope of the Works

2.1

The work will comprise the construction of a single storey extension to the southern elevation of the existing school building. The extension will provide three classrooms, a library, an interview room, three cloak areas, male and female pupil WCs, an Accessible WC and access/circulation corridor and plant room. An existing class space will be altered to provide much needed staff accommodation.

2.2

As part of these proposals the school car park consisting of 18 spaces will be relocated to the rear of the new building. Upon completion of the works temporary buildings will be removed from site on a phased basis, subject to the projected reduction in numbers, and the area reinstated. Further external works will involve the removal of trees to the southern boundary of the site and planting of new trees to the western boundary of the site.

2.3

It is also proposed as part of this scheme to construct a new access road from Main Road in the southern corner of the site. This element of the scheme has been added to the original brief which was to construct additional classrooms, specialised facilities and remove temporary classrooms. The new access road will address a number of issues including the provision of suitable access to eight adjoining properties (which is a planning condition arising from the original planning consent for the school), improvement to the school security by providing one access route onto the school site and maintaining the option of possible disposal of potentially surplus land on the school site.

3.

Funding and Timing

3.1

A combined allocation of £576,000, excluding fees, has been made in the Education Committee's 2003/04 Capital Programme to cater for the demand in pupil places as well as replacing temporary accommodation. School funding of £30,000, excluding fees, has also been added this scheme providing a total of £606,000, excluding fees.

3.2

It is proposed to negotiate an enabling contract of key works, including access and site services installations for completion over the critical window of the summer holiday period and to tender the building works to commence in September. Procurement routes are currently under consideration to provide the best possible value within the constraints of programme and local site conditions. It is intended to complete the overall project during April 2004.

Recommendation

That the Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that the design project appraisal for Marchwood Junior School be approved.