ISG secures school project at new low carbon community

A consortium building a low carbon residential development in East Devon has awarded a £5.3 million scheme for the construction of a new school to ISG – the third time the company has been offered work with the partnership.

The consortium takes in Persimmon Homes South West, Taylor Wimpey, and Hallam Land Developments, who together are building the new low-carbon community in Cranbrook.

The design and build scheme will see ISG construct a new primary school and adjacent multi-purpose community building as the first project in a major development of 3,500 new homes being built by the consortium . The project will be the third such scheme that ISG has built alongside Persimmon and follows successful handovers at Jennetts Park in Bracknell last August and in Bridgwater in 2010.

The Cranbrook First School will be the first of three newbuild schools for the residential development and provides 2,230 square metres of teaching accommodation. The single-storey, steel frame building will feature brickwork and render façade, aluminium frame windows and a standing seam metal roof. Construction of the BREEAM ‘Very Good’ environmental performance rated school will also include significant landscaping to create playground and car parking areas along with new pathways and retaining works to protect and enhance an existing copse and pond at the site.

The adjacent BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rated multi-purpose building is of majority single-storey design, with two-storey office accommodation and a large sports hall. Funded by Exeter and East Devon Growth Point, the 780 square metre building will mirror the architectural finishes of the new school and has been purposefully designed to offer flexible accommodation to suit a variety of needs. Initially formatted to provide offices, Primary Care Trust Services and a library, its specification may change during the programme as its use and occupiers are designated.

ISG’s John Rawlinson, managing director for the South West, said: “We have worked closely with Persimmon on two previous schemes and this latest contract win reinforces our excellent working relationship. The three consortium developers will be starting work on the residential elements of the scheme while we are on site, which will require close co-ordination of logistics, scheduling and site access. However, our proven track record in similar environments means that all parties can be confident of a successful outcome.”