Leicestershire school gets new block in £3.3m modular scheme
Spatial Initiative (Initiative) – the joint venture of property services group Styles&Wood and offsite construction specialists Extraspace Solutions – has begun craning in the first of 38 modular units at Highcliffe School in Birstall, Leicestershire.
The project marks the first school to be built under the £95m Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Component Primary Block framework.
The JV is rebuilding the 13,131 sq ft junior block using an off-site, modular approach. Completion is scheduled for October 2018.
Highcliffe is the first project to be allocated under the four-year primary block framework, which will use modular construction to replace buildings at 16 primary schools across the country. The firm is currently finalising the planning and design phases of two other projects – Abbey Infant School in Smethwick and Pound Hill Junior School in Crawley.
Sarah Morton, framework director at Initiative, said: “This project marks both the first step in a four-year investment programme to use modular construction to improve primary schools across the country, and the first scheme to be delivered by our joint venture company.
“Offsite construction is particularly beneficial in the education sector, where work has been traditionally constrained by term times, and has the potential to half the average delivery time. By offering expertise in complex project management and offsite modular build, we can provide an efficient model that ensures developments run smoothly with minimal disruption.”
