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£44M FOR FIVE NEW SCHOOLS
A £44m plan to create five new schools in Derby has
finally got the go-ahead. A worrying shortfall of almost
£8m, identified in January, in Derby City Council's
outline business case for its private finance initiative
is to be plugged by Whitehall. In 2001, the city council
applied to the Government for approval to spend £36m
building the new schools to replace inadequate buildings
at seven schools in the city. This was given the
provisional go-ahead.
But after council officials put the outline business case
together, it was discovered that the project, due for
completion by 2006, is likely to cost £43.8m. There were
concerns that because the PFI is over-subscribed
nationally, the Government might not give approval for
the additional money. A PFI works by allowing local
authorities to enter into a contract with a private
company to build and maintain its schools.
The city council will pay leasing and maintenance costs
to the contractor for 25 years and at the end of that
period, the schools will revert to the ownership of the
council. The news means that Merrill College, currently
on two sites, will move on to one campus at Uppermoor
Road, Allenton; a new 800-pupil school will be built on
the site of High View School, St Andrew's View, Breadsall
Estate; and a new 150-pupil school will be built to
replace Sinfin Primary School in Sheridan Street.
Hardwick Infant in Dover Street, and Hardwick Junior
School in Hastings Street, will be replaced by one
420-pupil primary school on the existing site. Wilmorton
Community Primary School, London Road, and Southgate
Infant School, Brighton Road, will be replaced by a
single school on a new site. The council is consulting on
three options for the new site which are Alvaston Park,
London Road; open space at Crewton allotments; and land
next to the recently opened link-road to Pride Park.
In addition to new schools, the project will be looking
to include adult and community learning and sports and
recreational activities. Construction of the schools will
begin in summer, 2004, with completed schools being
phased in from September, 2005. Michael Foote, city
council director of corporate services, said, "We're
pleased that we can now work with the schools to develop
the final proposals. The final cost of the project will
be known after it goes out to tender and bids are
received later this year."
The location of a new £2.8m city primary
school is set to be on green wedge land in Alvaston Park.
The 350-place school will replace the existing Wilmorton
Community Primary School, in London Road, and Southgate
Infant School, in Brighton Road, by 2006. It is one of
five new schools being built in the city under a £44m
private finance initiative but the only one requiring a
new location. Inadequate buildings at Wilmorton and
falling pupil numbers at Southgate led to the decision to
merge. A consultation exercise took place in March asking
parents and residents which of three possible sites they
preferred.
Choices included land to the west of Pride Parkway and
open space off Crewton Street. A total of 153 replies
were received and just over half identified Alvaston Park
as their first choice, but Andrew Flack, city education
director, said the Government could still have to make
the final decision on the future planning application
because the school would be built on green wedge land.
Under the terms of the private finance agreement, the
school will be leased from a private company by the city
council for 25 years and then revert back to council
ownership.
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