New School
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In April 2006 the school was informed that it would be given permission to design and build a new school on the site presently occupied by Bangor Academy on the Gransha Road.
This is a very exciting and challenging opportunity for the school. It will provide many generations of pupils with a modern complex and, for once, a campus which encompasses all sporting facilities.
The school have engaged McAdam Design from Newtownards as their architects and theáinternational company, Scott Wilson, to manage the whole scheme.
UPDATE MAY 2010
Just before Christmas the Department of Education informed the school and its Design Team that the project should not proceed any further or be allowed to go out to tender. This direction from the Department resulted from their uncertainty surrounding the allocation of money for capital projects for this financial year and the need to await the findings of a Ministerial review on school estates. Since then the Department has allowed the team and school to continue to complete all the necessary design work allowing the tender process to begin immediately clarification and authorisation is given. It was at the time and still is the schools understanding that the project should be allowed to commence in the Autumn of this year with the goal of having a contractor on site in April of 2011 for completion now in the early summer of 2013.UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2009
Just before the summer holidays, the school received approval from the Department of Education to proceed to the next stage which involves the production of the detailed designs and specifications needed to enable interested contractors to tender for the contract.
It is hoped that all of the detailed work will be completed in the next few months and the tender process finalised by February of next year, 2010.
The school is now working to a very tight timetable as it wishes to be on site with the construction started by the early summer of next year. There is a great deal of work to do between now and then, but the School is working very hard and closely with the Department of Education to achieve this goal and a completion date in June 2012.
UPDATE MARCH 2009:
Due to difficulties experienced by the Department of Education in acquiring a revised valuation for the new site from Land and Property Services, the scheme has been delayed for nearly a year.
The required valuation has now been received and the School and Department are in detailed discussions to enable the scheme to move forward and the building work to start in the autumn of this year.
The SEELB have been given permission and funding by the Department of Education to demolish the old school buildings and this work should be completed in the next few months.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2008:
Most of the major design work has now been completed and a detailed planning application has been lodged.
The Department of Education responded favorably to our earlier design submission and is now in the final stage of considering more detailed drawings and costs.
It is anticipated that this review will be finalized by early March and the school permitted to proceed to the next stage of putting the project out to contractors for tendering.
The scheme is still very much on target with construction starting in Sept of this year and completion in the summer of 2010.
UPDATE June 2007:
On the 29th of May the first formal design proposal for the school was lodged with the Department of Education. This is the culmination of a considerable amount of work by both the school and our design Team led by McAdam Design. It sets out the main configuration of the building, a layout for the site including the location of the playing fields as well as the position and relationships between academic departments.
The Department of Education have informed the school that they would expect to respond formally within twelve weeks of submission. Providing approval is granted, the Design Team can then start work on the next stage which is the production of detailed drawings and specifications.
So far work continues to follow the set programme and we are still hopeful of commencing building work in the autumn of next year and completing in 2010.
