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Funding from housing developers helping school expansions and repairs

Thursday, 2 September 2021 14:48

By Eddie Bisknell, Local Democracy Reporter @EddieBisk

New Mills School on Church Lane. Image: Google Maps.

Millions of pounds from housing developers is being used to fund a vast number of school expansions across Derbyshire, including the county's largest secondary.

A total of more than £4.7 million from housing developers is being used to pay for a total of nine school expansions across Derbyshire.

Each time a housing developer has plans approved for medium and large homes schemes, they are asked to provide money to offset the impact their project will have on the area.

This includes money for creating space for more students at primary and secondary schools in the vicinity of each site.

Some areas of the county, particularly south of Derby, are the source of many housing developments which see money pooled together for larger school expansion projects – to cope with the huge influx in demand.

To show this, a total of £12 million from housing developers has been gathered for expansions at John Port School.

Planned expansions through the use of money from housing developers will see John Port Academy – already Derbyshire’s largest secondary school – expand to a capacity of 2,500 students through a number of extensions.

The first expansion to be directly funded by housing developers will be £1.7 million for a two-storey sixth form extension with additional seminar rooms, study areas and social space – with money pooled from seven housing schemes.

John Port has been the subject of so many housing developer contributions due to its dominance of secondary education in the south of Derby area.

Derbyshire County Council, which has gathered the funds from housing developers, said it must grant the funds to John Port so as not to “fail in its statutory duty to supply sufficient school places” with “no other secondary and post 16 places available in the area”.

Further funds totalling £3 million from housing developers has been directed to another eight Derbyshire schools, sourced from 18 approved homes schemes.

These schools and expansions are as follows:

  • William Allitt School in Newhall is getting £485,000 towards a three-classroom extension
  • Eureka Primary School in Midway, Swadlincote, is getting £303,000 towards a three-classroom extension
  • Etwall Primary School is getting £46,000 towards a two-classroom extension
  • Hallam Fields Junior School in Ilkeston is getting £528,000 towards a two-classroom extension
  • Clowne Infant School will be getting £9,000 towards improving facilities
  • Somercotes Infant School will be getting £12,000 towards improving facilities
  • Tibshelf Community School will be getting £834,000 towards further classrooms
  • Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Ashbourne will be getting £289,000 towards plans for six new classrooms

Meanwhile, the county council is also dispersing nearly £15 million in government grants to dozens of schools across Derbyshire for both extensions and repairs.

This includes:

  • Anthony Gell School, Wirksworth – £744,000 towards the replacement of the flat roof, coverings and insulation for block one and pitched roof, coverings and insulation to block two
  • Bamford Primary School – £181,000 towards the replacement of the pitched roof and coverings
  • Belmont Primary School (foundation site), Swadlincote – £157,000 towards new heating pipework and radiator works
  • Belper Long Row Primary School – £70,000 towards a new boiler and heating system
  • Belper School – £870,000 towards the replacement for flat roof coverings and an insulation project
  • Birkhill Infant School, Eckington – £12,000 towards kitchen ventilation works
  • Breadsall Primary School – £967,000 towards a new school
  • Brockwell Junior School – £17,000 towards a new entrance
  • Buxton Community School – £1.15 million towards window and door framing replacements
  • Cavendish Junior School – £14,000 towards a flat roof
  • Chapel-en-le-Frith Primary School – £62,000 towards a classroom extension and a new boiler
  • Clowne Junior School – £181,100 towards an electrical rewire
  • Coton-in-the-Elms Primary School – £120,750 towards the replacement of drains and playground resurfacing
  • Crich Junior School – £162,000 towards a boiler and heating system replacement
  • Croft Community Infant School – £72,500 towards the replacement of the pitched roof coverings and an insulation project
  • Darley Dale Primary School – £9,000 towards kitchen ventilation works
  • Etwall Primary School – £17,100 towards two new classrooms
  • Findern Community Primary School – £300,000 towards a new sewage plant system
  • Hady Primary School, Chesterfield – £30,000 towards a drainage scheme
  • Herbert Strutt Primary School, Belper – £180,000 towards a ground heat source pump and a boiler replacement
  • Highfields School, Matlock – £130,000 towards an all-weather sports pitch
  • Hunloke Park Primary School, Wingerworth – £968,000 towards a new three-classroom block
  • Killamarsh Infant School – £175,000 towards a new roof
  • Killamarsh Junior School – £72,500 towards a heating system renewal
  • Linton Primary School – £138,000 towards an electrical rewire
  • New Mills School – £12,000 towards kitchen ventilation works
  • Newtown Primary School, New Mills – £45,000 towards an electricity supply upgrade
  • Northfield Junior School, Dronfield – £148,500 towards the replacement of flat roof coverings
  • Parklands Infant and Nursery School, Long Eaton – £648,000 towards a replacement of flat roof coverings and rooflights and an insulation project
  • Parkside Community School, Chesterfield – £285,000 towards the replacement of the pitched roof coverings and an insulation project
  • Pilsley Primary School – £13,000 towards plant room works
  • Ripley Infant School – £179,400 towards an electrical rewire
  • Spire Junior School, Chesterfield – £65,000 towards heating pipework renewal
  • William Levick Primary School, Dronfield Woodhouse – £50,000 towards electrical rewiring

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