New Build Updates!
January 2012
NEWS RELEASE
NEW BUILDING WILL BENEFIT STUDENTS AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY IN THETFORD
The one site new building for Thetford Academy has moved a big step forward with the announcement on Friday (January 20) that planning permission has been granted.
The three storey new Academy, to be constructed by Balfour Beatty on the north campus at Croxton Road, will provide an ICT-rich learning environment and will bring together the current 1400 students on a single site from September 2013 and have capacity for up to 2050 in future.
The design of the building will be sympathetic to its woodland surroundings, and the three wings at the back of the new school have been designed to maximise the views of the surrounding landscape. And, in a bid to be greener, a biomass boiler will be installed as well as photo-voltaic panels fitted to the roof to generate electricity.
Sixth form students will benefit from their own distinctive and separate area of the Academy, allowing them to appreciate greater independence from the main school for their final two years of study.
A new sports hall is included in the plans along with separate indoor space for fitness, dance and drama, which will be complemented by multi-use games areas outside. A central stepped courtyard will provide a perfect setting for outdoor performances in the summer months.
Inside the building, the main entrance will feature an attractive central atrium which will be overlooked by the library, as well as specialist areas for design and technology, science and music. A fully integrated IT system will also be installed and available across the whole building.
The design of the new building is such that many of its facilities can be accessed and used by the wider community out of school hours.
Thetford Academy Principal Cathy Spillane said: “We are really pleased to have secured the planning permission for this new building. It will provide 21st century facilities to allow us to provide a first class 21st century education for the young people of Thetford. In addition, it will provide a great asset to the wider community with many new facilities that they will be able to share with us.”
David Lawrence, Principal at Easton College and lead sponsor for Thetford Academy said: “It has been a long process but now we are so much closer to the one site for the Academy and the provision of a wonderful new learning environment which will benefit students and staff for many years to come in Thetford.”
Alison Thomas, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council, added: “We are excited about our role as co-sponsor of this Academy. We believe it has the capacity to not only transform the educational opportunities for young people in this area but also enrich the lives of those living in the wider community, so I am delighted by this news.”
It is expected that building work will start in March, once final approval has been given by Partnership for Schools, and works will be completed in August 2013, offering full access to students from September 2013. The project will involve some refurbishment of the current north campus and some demolition work, as well as the new build.
The project team will be working hard to ensure minimum disruption to pupils and the local community.
Once work gets underway regular updates of progress will be published here on the Academy website.
November 2011
The planning application for the Academy New Build has now been submitted. Please click here where you can view the application in full on the Norfolk County Council website. Below are some images of the proposed build.
October 2011
Balfour Beatty have been selected as the preferred contractor for the expansion and refurbishment works at the North Campus. The proposed design was presented at a public consultation event held at the Innovation Centre on October 18th. Some of the displays are attached for information. Please note these designs are still subject to that public consultation and planning permission which will be sought in November although we hope they give you a useful perspective of the future development plans. The planned timescale for completion of the project is September 2013 when all Academy students will be located at the Croxton Road site. If you have any comments on the designs that you have not already made at the public consultation event please e-mail us at info@thetfordacademy.com.
Proposed New Build Design - Proposed New Build Design
