Rebuild for Orchard School is approved
Plans to rebuild Newark Orchard School have been approved by Nottinghamshire County Council’s policy committee.
The special school with buildings labelled the worst in the county are set to be rebuilt as part of a £15m scheme.
Under the proposals, a new school would be built on London Road, Balderton.
It will be on the site of the former Grove Leisure Centre and the neighbouring site of a day centre for people with disabilities.
The day centre would be moved to the county council’s residential care and support centre, Woods Court, which will be adapted as a temporary new home, while redevelopment takes place.
The new Orchard school will replace its current sites on Appletongate, Newark, and London Road, Balderton.
The policy committee approval follows a county council decision to commit a further £2.5m to the project, in addition to £5m previously allocated, and comes after a full options appraisal of potential sites and layouts.
The total cost of the redevelopment, including external funding from government, is £15m.
The council said constructing a new day centre alongside the new school opened up opportunities to provide high-quality facilities.
Subject to detailed design and planning, it is anticipated that Orchard School pupils and Newark day centre users will be in the new facilities by the end of 2020.
Consultation will start immediately with users and stakeholders of the existing facilities.
A project board will be established to ensure stakeholders’ views are central to the scheme and oversee the detailed design and construction phase.
There has been a long-running campaign by parents and governors, backed by the Advertiser, to replace the Orchard School.
Newark MP Mr Robert Jenrick secured funding from the government to help meet the total required, some of which is coming from a new special schools rebuilding fund; a fund that he lobbied for.
Woods Court is due to close when the new £8m complex, Gladstone House, opens on Bowbridge Road. It will provide extra-care assisted-living for 60 people.
The former Grove Leisure Centre, which had closed, was burned to the ground by arsonists last year while in the process of being demolished.