A Stapleford junior school left in disrepair for years with scaffolding still in place will finally get a replacement building and bigger football pitch.
Albany Junior School in Pasture Road, Stapleford, has been deteriorating for the past six years, notably with roof light problems and the building’s layout no longer meeting modern teaching standards.
The roof light issue meant crash decks and scaffolding had to be installed four years ago, with staff and pupils having to exist alongside these ever since.
However, on Tuesday (June 9), Nottinghamshire County Council’s planning committee approved a new ‘modular’ replacement building to be built on the north east corner of the existing playing field area.
This new modern building will be two storeys in height and the demolition of the existing around 30-year old dilapidated school will follow.
In its place will be a larger grass playing field – one that is bigger than the school’s current field.
Speaking during the meeting, Conservative councillor Sam Smith said seeing the school’s condition on a recent site visit to the school was “emotionally sad and shocking”.
He said: “Six years ago this council told the headteacher that this school was beyond repair – six years. I think that is a disgrace that it’s gone on for so long.
“I apologised on behalf of the council because I was the leader of that council [at one point], I was the cabinet member for education, I apologised to the school for that.”
He said staff and pupils having to deal with the crash decks and scaffolding for years was “totally unacceptable”.
Broxtowe borough is steeped in mining heritage, where ground surveys and investigations for developments in the area have previously uncovered “historic voids” and former mining-related ground issues.
An initial ground investigation report has been completed, where the Coal Authority, the government’s mining body, added a condition to the plans that further ground work is done by the council before works can take place.
Cllr James Gamble (Ref), raised his concerns the committee was being asked to approve the new building before these extra investigations were complete.
Joel Marshall, planning applications senior practitioner at the authority, reassured the committee there is “sufficient [ground] evidence” for the council to move forward with building and that it ‘wasn’t being rushed’ through.
The extra “intrusive” ground works the council will need to be completed before any building can take place.
Cllr Alan Bite (Ref), said a grass playing field is not “fit for purpose” for around half of the year due to wet conditions, calling a 3G or 4G pitch “imperative” for plans to make the whole site “fit for purpose”.
Cllr Smith (Con) said during the meeting it would cost around £100,000 more to make the school’s pitch 3G but argued it will enable it to make money from it, and called for the authority and partners to “put their hands in their pockets” after the “horrific storm” the school has had to endure.
It is expected the build out time for the modular school building will take between 15 to 18 months.
