Client

Bowmer & Kirkland (Southern region)

Local Authority

Ashford Borough Council

Project Description

Construction of secondary school

DPP worked on behalf of Bowmer and Kirkland (who themselves are acting on behalf of the Department for Education) to co-ordinate, manage and submit a reserved matters planning application for the construction of a 6FE secondary school which includes a multi-use games area (MUGA), car parking, landscaping and external play, with the creation of a new access from Chilmington Green Road at the land southeast of Ashford Road, Great Chart, Kent.

The site comprises approximately 8ha. of agricultural land and forms part of the Chilmington Green and wider South Ashford Garden Community; a project creating a new suburb of 5,750 homes, four primary schools, and a district centre.

Our approved development consists of a secondary school with six forms of entry (6FE) and with scope for expansion to 8 forms in line with completions within the wider garden community and local education authority expectation.

Overall, the school will comprise a single building that is formed of two main elements, a teaching block for classrooms, offices and a breakout space, and a sports block, with a fitness suite, changing rooms, and sports hall. The teaching block will be 3-storeys in height whilst the sports block will be 2.5 storeys due to the height of the sports hall.

The school will employ 120 full time equivalent (FTE) staff members and will provide 1,140 school places from Year 7 to Sixth Form and serve Chilmington Green and the wider area.

The school will also be B+K’s second Net Zero Carbon school to be built through the DfE’s Offsite (MMC) Framework and achieve BREEAM Excellent; putting it in the top 10% of UK buildings for sustainability. It will also be the first school in the country to be delivered using a thermal ground labyrinth.

Achievements

DPP engaged with the LPA, design team, key stakeholders and the local community at an early stage to gain feedback.

DPP co-ordinated a complex project and consultant team and prepared a comprehensive planning application and supporting additional reports, which was submitted to Ashford Borough Council. DPP liaised closely with the LPA, consultees, client and project teams through the project to secure planning approval.