Planned £1.85m extension to school to help improve its activities and facilities
A £1.85m extension at a primary school will offer teachers, schoolers and families more space for activities and better facilities.
The plans for Sharps Copse Primary School in Leigh Park include three single-storey extensions to provide a multi-use teaching space with a small group room, an enlarged community or family room, improvements on the staff room accommodation, and the relocation of Year R’s toilet to provide direct access from the classrooms.
The scheme was included in Hampshire County Council’s Children Services Capital Programme, approved at the executive lead member for children’s services decision day on January 12 with a budget of £1.85m.
Sharps Copse Primary School is off Baybridge Road, in Leigh Park, and currently has enrolled 312 children aged between 4 and 11 years old. Numbers will remain the same after the extensions.
Alongside the building construction, the £1.85m includes an allocation of £38,000 for new furniture, fittings, equipment and IT for the new spaces.
Following the county council’s climate change targets to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, the project will incorporate highly insulated windows, doors and roof lights, and solar-controlled glass to south-facing windows to assist in the control of solar gain, low-water consumption sanitary and energy-efficient lighting.
The existing vehicle and pedestrian access arrangement will remain unchanged.
School hours won’t be impacted during the construction, and local arrangements will be implemented to ensure the health and safety of all school users.
Beard Construction has been appointed for the development. It is anticipated to commence on-site during the autumn term of 2023 and finish in the summer term of 2024.
The old Sharps Copse Junior School building was constructed in 1960. It became a primary school in 2003, with the adjacent infant school building becoming the Children’s and Families Centre.
The county council’s development planning has confirmed that planning permission will not be required for the proposals, as the project is considered ‘permitted development’.
The project will seek spending approval on Thursday from the executive member for education, Steve Forster.