Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

1. Executive Summary

1.1. The report seeks approval to the design proposals for an extension at Liphook Infant School, Liphook, at an estimated total cost of £379,000 (including fees of £47,000).

2. Scope of Work

2.1. The extension will provide a community room to serve both the Infant and Junior Schools and the wider community.

2.2. The major part of the funding for this project if from the Children's Services Capital Programme in relation to the Extended Schools Initiative. This report outlines the available funding within which the project is to be designed and delivered.

2.3. Any significant issues from either the Risk or Combined Impact Assessment will need to have specific attention in the design or implementation of this project.

3. Contextual Information

3.1. Liphook Infant School is located within the village of Liphook and has a net capacity of 270 pupils (4-7 years). There are currently 241 pupils in attendance. These proposals do not increase pupil numbers.

3.2. The project forms part of the `Extended Schools Initiative'. The proposed community room is needed to extend and improve the range of services within the Liphook area. The anticipated outcome will be increased community cohesion, a raising of standards for all children through increased attendance and fewer exclusions, improved communication through partnership working, better literacy and numeracy levels and a proactive approach to supporting hard-to-reach parents and carers.

3.3. The scheme will be procured through a traditional tender process. It is anticipated that tenders will be invited during December 2009, works are scheduled to commence on site during March 2010 and be completed by September 2010.

4. Finance

4.1. Capital Expenditure:

The Capital Expenditure has already been approved; the following tables outline the breakdown of its distribution across the project:

* The means by which the difference between the Current Estimate and the Capital Programme allocation is to be met are shown in the table below:

4.2. Sources of Funding:

a) Building Cost:

Net Cost (excluding abnormals) £1,595 per m²

Gross Cost = £2,322 per m²

b) Furniture & Equipment:

Shelving to stores and PPA room will be provided, together with fitted units to the kitchen. The school will be responsible for the supply of all loose furniture, fittings and equipment.

4.3. Revenue Issues:

a) Overview of Revenue Implications:

Please Note: 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.

b) Energy Costs:

The estimated annual energy consumption for the new accommodation will

meet that required by current Building Regulations.

5. Risk & Impact Issues

5.1. Please see Appendix B for a summary of the risk and impact issues considered in relation to the design of this project.

6. Details of site and existing Infrastructure

6.1. The original school is of 1970s system-built construction and has undergone a series of extensions within the last ten years. The school has a predominantly brick exterior with areas of glazed window screens.

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

6.3. Pedestrians access the school via the car park and from a safety viewpoint, this is not ideal. The proposals within this report offer a safer pedestrian route to the school buildings.

6.4. During the construction period, the contractor will share the school's vehicular access off Avenue Close directly into the building site. Once within the school boundaries, pupils and staff will be clearly separated from construction activities. Deliveries and movement of plant will be restricted during the school day to ensure the safety of all those involved.

7. Scope of the Project

7.1. The school has a lack of storage space and this impacts directly on available space in the school hall. The school has no area for teacher preparation, planning and assessment (PPA) or a room to deliver physiotherapy to children with special needs.

7.2. The proposed extension will provide the following accommodation:

· community room

· accessible wc

· kitchen

· therapy room

· teachers' room (PPA)

· PE store

· equipment store

7.3. The above storage areas will house furniture and equipment that is currently stored around the perimeter of the main hall, thus allowing the hall to function more appropriately for dining, gym and school assemblies.

7.4. The community room has been designed to be accessed either independently out-of-hours by visitors (and has a separate main visitors' entrance for this purpose), or internally from the school during normal hours.

7.5. The scheme also provides a new dedicated pedestrian access from Avenue Close which will help alleviate the existing conflict between pedestrians and traffic and provide a safe route into the school.

8. The Proposed Building

8.1. The proposed extension adjoins the northern and eastern frontage of the existing school buildings.

8.2. The extension will be of traditional masonry construction with facing brickwork elevations to complement the existing buildings. Some elevations will be rendered, window/door frames will be of powder-coated aluminium and the roof will be a high-performance construction, all to complement the existing.

9. External Works

9.1. The proposal does not affect the existing car parking provision. It does take into account the proximity of the school's main entrance and introduces a safe pedestrian access. The extension has been sited so that visitors using the community building have easy access to it directly from the public footpath or school car park.

9.2. The landscape works will involve some replanting alongside the proposed new footpath at the junction with the car park. The proposals will not result in the loss of any mature vegetation.

10. Planning

A planning application was submitted during September 2009.

11. Building Management

The existing management arrangements but develop as additional community use is established.

12. Professional Resources

Mechanical and Electrical ) Property, Business & Regulatory

Structural Engineering ) Curtins Consultancy

Architectural ) Property, Business & Regulatory

Quantity Surveying ) Property, Business & Regulatory

13. Consultations

13.1. The following have been consulted during the development of this project and any relevant feedback can be seen in overview in Appendix C:

Local County Councillor

School/Governors

Children's Services

Fire Officer

Access Officer

Planning Department

14. Recommendations

That the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services approves the proposal for an extension at Liphook Infant School, Liphook, at a total estimated cost of £379,000 (including fees of £47,000).

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Integral Appendix B

RISK & COMBINED IMPACT ASSESSMENT:

Race and Equality Impact Assessment

Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.

Crime Prevention Issues

The County Council has a legal obligation under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to consider the impact of all the decisions it makes on the prevention of crime. The proposals in this report have no impact on the prevention of crime.

Fire Risk Assessment

In consultation with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, a fire risk assessment concludes that this 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 the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2007, have been undertaken for the proposed scheme.

Climate Change/Sustainability

The community room has been designed with a draught lobby to the outside thereby protecting against loss of heat from the community room in the winter. Windows have been sited on a north elevation and the main rooflight to the community room is orientated north to avoid overheating in the summer months. The room has been designed to be naturally passively ventilated with good cross- ventilation via opening windows and rooflights.

A new condensing boiler with 'A' rating for energy efficiency will be installed to serve the proposed extension. This will reduce heat transmission losses and provide an energy-efficient thermally-responsive environment.

Lighting to the community area and WC will be fitted with PIR units. Functional room lighting PIRs will be set to absence detection and WCs set to presence detection. New low-energy lamps will be fitted to all new luminaires. Luminaires will also be replaced in locations around the school, again incorporating T5 or Energy Efficient compact fluorescent lamps, combined with PIR units. This is part of the consequential improvements which are required under the Building Regulations. Proposals will be developed for a new electrical main panel board for the building, with the incorporation of automatic sub-metering of existing and proposed new distribution boards - for the school's awareness of monitoring and targeting their electricity consumption.

Integral Appendix C

FEEDBACK FROM CONSULTEES:

OTHER EXECUTIVE MEMBERS:

OTHER FORMAL CONSULTEES: