Works for New School Underway

Regeneration works at Offmore Primary School in Kidderminster have begun, with appointed building contractor Speller Metcalfe working closely with the school and Worcestershire County Council to ensure any disruption is kept to the minimum. Preparations for the new school, which will cost around £4 million, are under way with the demolition of the old buildings. School pupils and teaching staff are being housed in temporary accommodation, situated alongside the site of the old school. Demolition is set for completion by the beginning of April, with building works commencing during the Easter break and scheduled to finish by March 2012. Speller Metcalfe Contracts Manager, Steve Harker, said: "All pupils and staff moved in to the new temporary school in advance of the perimeter fencing being erected mid-January allowing demolition works to commence. We are now looking forward to starting the main works in April and working alongside Worcestershire County Council and the school." The new school will include additional teaching rooms, a new nursery, library and IT areas, toilets and extended outdoor play areas with access and the use of a playing field, allotment garden and planted boarders. The addition of eco-friendly facilities include a biomass boiler, recognised 'zero-carbon' technology, providing the school with a reliable source of heat, linked with natural ventilation systems and a green roof which will improve the visual landscape and offer additional ecological and environmental advantages. Local Councillor Fran Oborski stated: "I'm absolutely delighted to see it all get started." The main school redevelopment is planned for completion by March next year, with the removal of the temporary school and the reinstatement of the playing fields due to be complete by the end of June 2012.