City school to be transformed with new buildings and pitches
A large part of a Bradford secondary school is set to be demolished and replaced with modern, net zero buildings, the Department for Education has revealed.
Two blocks at Trinity Academy Bradford will be knocked down to make way for the new buildings under newly submitted plans.
The third block will be given a full refurbishment, and there will be an increase in the number of playing pitches on the site.
An application for the work has been submitted to Bradford Council by the Department for Education this week. The department says some of the buildings are in a “poor condition” and are “failing to meet the needs” of the school.
The former Queensbury School, on Deanstones Lane, changed its name when it became part of the Trinity Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) in 2021.
The school would keep its current student numbers if the plans are approved – retaining a capacity for 1,050 pupils.
The planning application says: “Trinity MAT have highlighted that the school buildings are suffering from various repair issues, which are prohibiting the school from using some classrooms and also are causing issues with main facilities (such as the dining and sports hall) which have suffered from water damage as a result of the poor condition of the buildings and are currently failing to meet the needs of the trust.
“Block EFFA and ROSLA block also have inherent issues with a life-expired roof and asbestos in the fabric of the building.
“The three-storey EFAB block was built in 2000 and accommodates a significant amount of teaching accommodation which is to be retained.”
The application acknowledges that some of the school’s playing pitches will be unusable for several months during the different stages of construction.
But it adds: “The scheme will deliver an overall net gain of playing pitches in excess of 10,000sqm which is a substantial benefit to sports provision on the site.”
The application also says the new buildings will be “net zero” and much more environmentally friendly than the existing buildings.
It adds: “The development will include PV solar panels to allow for on-site energy generation, high performance fabric U-values, triple glazed windows and hybrid ventilation systems, all of which will result in a development which provides significant reductions in carbon and environmental impacts.” There will also be an extra 40 cycle parking spaces.
A public consultation on the plans took place late last year, and 19 people living in Queensbury responded.
One said: “The priority is to ensure children get a good education and to do this they need a school fit for purpose. These school buildings have been neglected and desperately need the new build.”
The Department for Education said it aimed to begin construction this summer. It could not yet say how much the project will cost.
A decision on the application is expected in April.