Hampshire County Council Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel Item 23 January 2007 Romsey Primary School Report by the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services

Contact: Steve Clow Ext: 7858 e-mail: [email protected]

1	Summary
1.1	The Romsey Review of Primary School Provision was undertaken in October 2004 as a result of a fall in pupil numbers, in particular at Romsey Infant and Junior Schools. Following lengthy public consultation, it was decided to amalgamate the two schools on the larger Junior School site to provide a one-form entry Primary School. The brief was expanded in May 2006 to include a Children's Centre as part of the proposed extension and remodelling works. The School has also been designated as an inclusive school, with the resultant proposed provision of therapy and hygiene rooms.
1.2	The existing Infant School is located at Plaza Parade, Winchester Road, Romsey, while the Junior School is located in a residential area in Mercer Way, Romsey. The schools have a combined capacity of 420 places for pupils aged 4-11 years.
1.3	The total estimated cost of the scheme to extend and remodel the existing Junior School to form a one-entry Primary School is £2,852,000, excluding fees.
1.4	The provision of a Primary School on the existing Romsey Junior School site will maximise wellbeing and enhance the quality of place for all users of the school.
1.5	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.
2	Scope of the Works
2.1	The existing school building is to be refurbished, with many of the internal areas adapted to meet the current standards of education provision. The lighting and ceiling finishes will also be upgraded to comply with current regulations. Roof lights will be added to provide improved light and ventilation to the deeper plan classrooms.
2.2	It is proposed to construct a new wing to the south of the existing school buildings, to provide three classrooms, a preschool, community room, children's centre and associated administrative areas. A courtyard area will be formed between the existing and proposed new building which can be used as a sheltered external teaching space and would be available for other school events.
2.3	As part of the scheme, it is proposed to restrict the existing vehicular and pedestrian access into the site from Mercer Way for staff and service vehicles only. Staff parking has been re-designated in line with County standards. Congestion will be relieved by additional pedestrian entrances on all four sides of the site.
2.4	The proposed building is single-storey, of a scale to unify the proposed and existing buildings. The site is bounded by tall trees and hedges which serve as a screen between the school and surrounding housing. Materials have been chosen to complement the existing buildings.
3	Proposed Wind Turbine
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6	It is proposed to explore the potential to place a wind turbine on this site as an opportunity to innovate and trial the impact of renewable energy on a typical suburban school site. This proposal is support by Children's Services and the School. The Romsey Primary School site is, like many schools, a challenge on which to introduce a wind turbine owing to its 20 metre height which is required to obtain the sustained wind speeds necessary to generate electricity. The surrounding trees around also help determine the height. To reflect the challenging demands of the site, a helical vertical axis model wind turbine has been selected. This product has been designed to function at the lower wind speeds found in this location. The proposed turbine has won the Best Product Innovation category of Building Magazine's 2006 Sustainability awards and is accredited by the DTI Low Carbon Buildings Programme. Currently there is only one demonstration site where this type of unit is installed, however other sites around the country are to house more of these turbines over the next twelve months. The wind turbine is one of several low carbon technologies proposed for the project, including ground source heat pumps and higher insulation levels. Whilst it has to be accepted that there are other solutions which could be adopted that have shorter theoretical payback periods, the wind turbine will provide a clear demonstration of the County Council's commitment to meeting Government, DfES and new Corporate Performance Assessment targets. On most projects now it is not possible to achieve Building Regulations approval without the use of some low carbon technology. The turbine potentially could qualify for funding via a Low Carbon Buildings Programme grant and an application for this is soon to be made. Children's Services have confirmed their wish to financially support the wind turbine irrespective of the outcome of the grant application. The cost of the turbine is currently estimated at £49,000 (to be funded from part of the capital receipt from the sale of the Infant School site and a section of the Junior School site) with a payback period on the capital of 15 to 20 years, assuming the grant application is successful. It would start generating revenue savings in terms of electrical power immediately it is operational. This turbine has been submitted for Planning on a separate application to avoid any impact on the school redevelopment should it be refused. The installation will only go ahead once all the technical, planning and cost factors have been successfully concluded. The wind turbine remains an optional extra and the project is not dependent on it.
4	Funding and Timing
4.1	It is proposed to fund this scheme through a combination of the capital receipts, the school's devolved formula capital and DfES Sure Start funding for Children's Centres. The project will be proposed as part of the 2007/08 Children's Services Capital Programme.
4.2	Approval to the use of up to 100% of the sale proceeds of the Infant School/surplus Junior School site for reinvestment to finance the improvements and extension at the Junior School was given by the Executive Member for Policy and Resources at the meeting held on 6 December 2006.
4.3	Subject to the necessary approvals, it is anticipated that tenders will be invited during January 2007, work will commence on site during June 2007 and be completed during April 2008.
5	Consultation with Local Member
5.1	Councillor Mark Cooper, the local Member for this area, has been consulted on this proposal and he has confirmed that he is supportive of the scheme.
Conclusion
The proposed scheme will rationalise the existing Infant and Junior Schools onto one site in an inclusive one-form entry Primary School.
Recommendation
That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that the design project appraisal for Romsey Primary School, at an estimated cost of £2,852,000, excluding fees, is approved.

LINK(S) TO CORPORATE STRATEGY
	Yes	No
Hampshire safer and more secure for all		_
Maximising well-being	_
Enhancing our quality of place	_

This proposal does not link to the Corporate Strategy but, nevertheless, requires a decision because:

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1 Published works

2 Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

Title Location

Architect's plans PMIS file

Building Profile Reports TMH

Hampshire County Council

Building Design Project Appraisal

Executive Member for Education

18 January 2007

Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel

23 January 2007

Executive Member for Policy and Resources

25 January 2007

Project:	Romsey Primary School
	Extension and remodelling to provide a one-form entry Primary School and a new Children's Centre
Commencement date:	June 2007
Completion date:	April 2008
Planned year of start in accordance with Capital Programme:		2007/08

Recommendation:

That the building design project appraisal for the Romsey Primary School scheme

be approved.

1 Finance

Capital Expenditure	Current Estimate £'000	Capital Programme £'000
Buildings	2,852	2,730
Fees	448	437
Land to be purchased	_	_
Total	*3,300	3,167

* The means by which the difference between the Current Estimate and the Capital Programme

allocation is to be met is shown in the table below.

Financial Provision for Total Scheme	Buildings £'000	Fees £'000	Total cost £'000
1 From own Resources:
a) Capital Programme (as above)	2,730	437	3,167
b) School - devolved capital	122	11	133
Total	2,852	448	3,300

Building Cost - Net Cost = £1,880 per m² (including abnormals)

- Gross Cost = £2,715 per m²

Devolved Capital allocations £'000

2003/04 6,473

2004/05 19,230

2005/06 22,651

2006/07 49,921

2007/08 34,725

Total 133,000

Landlord funded work connected with this scheme

There are no landlord funded works associated with this scheme.

Value of land already acquired for this project

The land forming the site of the development is an integral part of the school campus and is incapable of disposal in isolation. The land was acquired at historic cost and its current value to the County Council is as part of the ground of the establishment.

Revenue implications

	(a) Employees £'000	(b) Other £'000	(a+b) *Net Current Expenditure £'000	(c) Capital Charges £'000	(a+b+c) Total Net Expenditure £'000
Revenue Implications Additional+ /Reductions	70	0	-	173	243
Unit cost (£) (e.g. per place)	-	-	-	-	-
% variation to Committee's budget	-				-
Number of additional Staff (fte)	-				-

The overall level of the revenue budget for funding schools will (from April 2006) be prescribed by central government, and capital projects have no bearing on the level of this budget. Therefore, this proposed project will have no bearing on the overall level of the Children's Services budget, extra costs and savings being met from the same overall schools' funding level.

Energy costs

The existing school building currently costs £7,257 per year (£6.6 per m²), generating 42 tonnes of CO₂ per year. After the proposed improvement to this building, these expected figures will be in the order of £6,850 per year (£6.35 per m²), generating 38 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The new extension energy use, based on the expected generation of the wind generator and the use of the ground source heat pump for heating, will be £2,000 per year (£3.30 per m²), 11.5 tonnes of CO₂. This is a saving of £1,300 per year and 6.5 tonnes of CO₂, compared to the use of traditional technologies.

Whole Life costs

The development of the project has included an analysis of costs over the whole life-cycle of the building. A Whole Life Cost plan has been prepared for the project and is consistent with similar projects carried out by the County Council.

2 Details of site and existing infrastructure

Location/adjoining land and buildings

Romsey Junior School is located in a residential area at Mercer Way, Romsey. The site is surrounded by housing, with school playing fields to the south and west.

Area including comparison with local/national standards

The total site area is 6.98 acres (2.83 hectares). The DfES guideline for a school of this size is 2.73 acres (1.105 hectares).

Access

The existing vehicular and pedestrian access into the site from Mercer Way is to be retained but restricted to staff and service vehicles only. Staff parking has been re-designated in line with County standards. Congestion will be relieved by additional pedestrian entrances on all four sides of the site.
For the duration of the works, the contractor will access the site from Mercer Way.

Existing buildings and temporary buildings

The main school building is of SCOLA 3 system construction, dating from the 1970s. A library infill extension of traditional construction was added in 1994. There are no temporary buildings on the Junior School site.


During the contract period, it will be necessary for the pupils of the Junior School to be temporarily integrated into the Infant School accommodation. Three temporary buildings will be erected on the Infant School site to provide the necessary accommodation to facilitate the temporary move. These will be removed on completion of the scheme.

Results of trial boreholes

The ground conditions are topsoil on slightly gravely clay to 1.2-1.6m below existing ground level. Below this is generally clayey sandy gravel which has fairly good drainage characteristics.


The new ground floor will be a proprietary beam and block system designed to span between mass concrete foundations.

Mains services position

The existing mains services are considered to be of sufficient capacity to be extended and adapted as required to serve the proposed additional accommodation.

3 Scope of the Project

Type of project, layout and facilities provided

The proposed extension is located to the south of the existing school building, forming an external courtyard area at the heart of the school. The following accommodation is provided:

· Reception foyer

· Manager's office

· 2 meeting rooms

· Therapy room

· Crèche with associated toilet/storage

· Community room with lobby and toilet area

· 3 classrooms

· Storage/play/toilet areas

· Pre-school space

· Storage/toilet areas

Places provided

On completion of the project there will be 210 places for pupils aged 4-11 years of age, together with a children's centre as well as provision for a 30 place pre-school.

4 The Proposed Building

Type of construction, finish and appearance

The single-storey building will be of brick/block construction with aluminium glazing to maximise daylight into the teaching spaces. The roof will have a high-performance covering. The bricks have been chosen to complement the existing buildings and areas of render will be used to contrast with the window frames. The courtyard will be clad in timber boarding where it can be protected easily.

Impact Assessment

The proposed extension has been designed with level access throughout.

Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in the development of this proposal. No adverse impact has been identified in terms of race, creed or gender.

Heating and ventilation systems

The new accommodation will be heated by underfloor heating served by a ground-source heat pump and will be naturally ventilated wherever possible.

Fire risk assessment

In consultation with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, a fire risk assessment concludes that this is a low fire risk category building. Therefore a sprinkler system will not be installed.

Health and safety

A designer's risk assessment and a design health and safety plan, in accordance with Regulation 15 of the Construction Design and Management Regulations 1994, have been undertaken for the proposed scheme

5 External Works

Car parking

The existing car parking provision will be reconfigured in line with the county standard.


Landscape proposals

The principal aim of the landscape design is to segregate the public front of the building entrance space from the rest of the learning/play landscape in order to reduce the possibility of unauthorised access to the western side of the site, as well as separating vehicular traffic from play areas. This has been achieved by:

· Creating a separate fenced area for the early years unit which effectively separates the school's main vehicular/pedestrian entrance from the playing fields.

· Fencing between the existing building and the site boundary to separate the vehicular routes from the back playground, thus increasing child safety.

· Fencing between the early years unit and existing school, creating a dual-purpose formal entrance courtyard as well as a supervised play/teaching space.

Situation on site and environmental impact

The proposed extension is single-storey and the site is bounded by tall trees and hedges, thus reducing any impact on surrounding housing. It is proposed to include a wind turbine in the scheme (subject to a separate planning application) which will be mounted in the playing field close to the buildings in the centre of the site. It is anticipated that this will generate savings for the school's energy bill, reduce the school's carbon footprint and also provide an important learning resource for pupils.

6 Planning

The original planning application proposed a new vehicular access from Cupernham Lane, however because of significant local objections this has been withdrawn and a revised planning application detailing access from Mercer Way was resubmitted during December 2006. The wind turbine was submitted as a separate application which it is expected to be approved under delegated powers.

7 Building management

Existing arrangements will apply to cleaning, catering, local management and maintenance arrangements.

8 Furniture and equipment

The funding for the provision of furniture and equipment will be made available from the Block Vote in the Children's Services Capital Programme.

9 Professional resources

Architectural Services } Property, Business and Regulatory

Quantity Surveying } Property, Business and Regulatory

Electrical and Mechanical Engineering } Property, Business and Regulatory Structural Engineering } WSP

10 Consultations

The following have been consulted during the development of the project: Headteacher and Governors of the school, Children's Services Department, Environment Department, Access Officer, Fire Officer, local County Councillor.