Seddon to transform disused adult ed centre into £2.5m primary school in Lichfield. The construction of Five Spires Academy will see the complete regeneration of the former Cherry Orchard adult training centre, which has been empty for three years, including a modern single storey extension to the 1970s building. The primary school will cater for 210 pupils and provide 26 part-time nursery places when the first phase completes in September.
The school, which has been designed by a team at Entrust, a joint venture company set up between Staffordshire County Council and Capita, will be run by Reach2 Academy Trust. This is the sixth project that Seddon, which has offices in Birmingham and Stoke, will have delivered as part of the Staffordshire County Council Construction Framework.
Eamonn Burns, Regional Director for the Midlands from Seddon, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to regenerate this building, which has been disused for a number of years, into a much-needed new school. “The ability to develop new facilities like the Five Spires Academy is becoming increasingly crucial to support growing communities.
“Last year alone we secured £30 million of work to create and refurbish school buildings, and thanks to our appointment to a number of frameworks in the Midlands, we hope to be able to deliver many more in the future.”
County Councillor Ben Adams, Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills at Staffordshire County Council, said: “Seddon have a good track record in Staffordshire. We have worked with them on a number of school building and refurbishment projects which have been delivered on time, and to the highest standard.
“We want to ensure every child in Staffordshire has the opportunity to access outstanding education, and this also means ensuring there are enough primary school places in the area to cope with demand. Demand for places has risen in this area of Lichfield, so it is essential we work quickly to ensure there is enough space and choice for local children.”
Seddon has already completed a number of projects for the local authority, including: Veritas Academy in Stafford, Burton-on-Trent schools St Modwen’s Primary School, Scientia Academy and Christchurch Primary School.
The first phase of the building will be complete in September, ready for pupils to begin the new term, with the remainder of the works set to be finished in October.
