Construction progress gathers pace at school site in Chesterfield

The first phase of construction work is now complete at Brampton Primary School, providing the school with a new dedicated catering kitchen. Concertus Design and Property Consultants are working with Derbyshire County Council on a three-phase scheme which includes the relocation of the catering kitchen, a new bespoke modular nursery building and external play area. Planning permission has recently been granted for the next stage of the project to commence.

The first phase saw the relocation of the school’s catering kitchen, formerly part of the existing dilapidated nursery building, move to its new home alongside the hall within the existing school building. These works were completed by Derbyshire’s Direct Labour Organisation.

The main contractor for the next phase of the project, Ideal Building Systems (IBS), started on site in August. Stuart Hobson, Contracts Manager at IBS said, “We are delighted to be working with Derbyshire County Council again at Brampton Primary School. The project is split into three parts; disconnection and demolition, groundworks, and the provision of a purpose built new modular nursery building. Architecturally, the building greatly improves the appearance and functionality of the pre-school area of the school, and we are confident that it will be a great success for the school and the wider community.”

As part of the second phase of works we have overseen the demolition of the existing nursery block, replacing it with a new stand-alone nursery block using offsite manufacture and modern methods of construction (MMC). The new building is located adjacent to the existing Primary School and will have an external link with the main school via a covered walkway. Work has now commenced on the external cladding and the laying of floors, while the first second-fix mechanical, electrical and air conditioning works have been commissioned. The foul and surface water drainage connections and canopy foundations have also been completed.

Paul Cockayne, Associate Director at Concertus said, “We are thrilled to be working for Derbyshire County Council to relocate the existing nursery to an innovative new building. The multicoloured cladding panels will provide a positive learning environment, which is attractive to young children. The new landscape design will also complement the new sensorial features. We look forward to seeing the project progress into its final stages.”

The scheme has been designed to maximise flexibility, with an open plan teaching area that can be divided into different spaces by using movable partitions and curtains. The project is due to be handed over in early 2023.