School plans upgrade with £206k windfall
Council backs proposals for developers’ cash
APRIMARY school in wants to demolish buildings as part of a modernisation programme to improve facilities for pupils.
Christ Church Primary School, in Malvern Road, Cheltenham, said its layout of buildings is inefficient and does not make the most of the land it has available.
By knocking down buildings, it says it can create better facilities and free up more outdoor space for play and sport.
It has put in a bid to Cheltenham Borough Council saying it wants to extend and alter the school to create a new sports hall and kitchen.
Plans include the demolition of existing classrooms, a dining area and kitchen.
A new netball court would be created and more space would be available for staff parking.
Comments on the application can be left on the borough council’s website.
The application says: “The new hall will be used for sports and assembly purposes as well as dining and will have a direct connection to the main school buildings but, can be separated for use outside school hours.
“The hall can then be used as a flexible space for various activities including Art and DT and after school club.
“The existing dining and kitchen building will be demolished, and more play space created.
In its application, the school
explained why it wanted to make the changes.
“The current school hall is too small and below the Department for Education minimum requirement for the number of children in the school.
“Also, the exits are undersized which limits the number of people using the hall.
“The dining room, kitchen and art/ DT block are in a detached building some distance from the main building.
“This means that the children have to go outside every day on numerous occasions in all weather conditions to get to the dining room.
“The dining room, kitchen and art/ DT block (originally a temporary building) is a very large sprawling inefficient building of wooden construction, with asbestos, poor insulation and large single glazed windows.
“This results in rooms that are too cold in the winter and unbearably hot in the summer for our pupils.”
The application says: “The removal of the old buildings and replacement with a smaller more efficient building will provide multiple benefits for the pupils by an improved hall, efficient building for dining room and increasing the outside play space for our children which is at a premium for the town centre, land-locked school.”
A number of schools are seeking to expand in and around the area, including Balcarras School in Charlton Kings.
While in Leckhampton, there are plans for a new secondary school to be build on land next to Farm Lane and Kidnappers Lane.