Completion of construction milestone reached at Sybil Andrews Academy

Over five years of construction work has culminated with the completion of the final phase at Sybil Andrews Academy in Bury St Edmunds.

Located north of the town on the Moreton Hall estate, the academy has been built over a number of stages, with the final stage starting early in 2019 to construct an additional MUGA area and two new teaching blocks adjacent to the main Heart building.

What is significant is that the same project team that originally started the project in 2015 has continued throughout all phases of the build; working collaboratively to bring construction finally to a close, ready for the new school year this September.

Barnes Construction has been the main contractor for the scheme building not only Sybil Andrews, which is managed by the Unity Schools Partnership, but also the adjacent Skyliner Sports Centre run by Abbeycroft Leisure.

Concertus Design & Property Consultants project managed the build on behalf of the client, Suffolk County Council, and also provided a number of multi-disciplinary design services, which included architecture, interior and landscape, as well as structural engineering and building services.

The result is a state-of-the-art education facility with a capacity to accommodate 1,200 students, and a sports centre, which serves the local community in Bury St Edmunds. Mark Hart, Joint MD for Barnes Construction said: “This project has shown true collaboration with everyone involved working together as one team to achieve a successful outcome for Suffolk County Council and the Unity Schools Partnership. It’s great to see this multi-million-pound scheme finally completed.”

Andrew Rowe, MD of Concertus added: “We are delighted to be celebrating this milestone at Sybil Andrews Academy, the team’s collaborative working goes hand in hand with the project’s success to date. A big thank you to everyone for their hard work.”

Cllr. Mary Evans, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education & Skills said; “We are very pleased that this important project has been completed so successfully. As well as being a remarkable building in itself, Bury St Edmunds now has the secondary school capacity it needs to meet current and future demand for school places.”

Finally, Cllr. Trevor Beckwith said: “I think the large Moreton Hall community, particularly those with older children or those about to leave primary school, have welcomed the opportunity for students to continue their education on the estate. Community representatives liaised successfully with Concertus during the initial consultation to ensure any concerns were ironed out and the construction has been trouble-free. The joint use of the Skyliner Sports Centre is also an important addition for everyone.”