ARK Putney Academy’s £30m Renovation Moves Closer

As conditional contract signed with Barratt London for sale of land

The Council announced on 15th November that following a rigorous tender process, conditional contracts have been exchanged with Barratt London for the contentious sale of part of the school’s site.

Barratt will seek planning permission for a residential development on the land, which would generate the funding needed to finance the refurbishment of the new ARK Putney Academy.

If planning permission is granted, the land sale will be completed and all the money raised, plus additional funding from Wandsworth Council, will be used for the scheme to:

• remodel internal areas of the main listed building, whilst preserving its architectural heritage
• replace the glazing with better insulated, modern glazing to improve year-round temperature and energy management,
• create brighter, more spacious and well-equipped classrooms
• improve the energy efficiency and renew the services for the heating and lighting of the school
• build a new 4 court sports hall to the latest Sport England standards and create a new outdoor multi-purpose sports area
• re-landscape the remaining site
Wandsworth’s strategic partners Lend Lease, working with English Heritage, are preparing detailed plans for the school renovation.

Public consultations, by both Barratt on their residential scheme and Lend Lease on the renovation of the school buildings, will begin soon. Following these initial public consultations, two separate planning applications for the Barratt and Lend Lease proposals are likely to be submitted in the New Year.

Once these have been submitted, the council will consult on the detailed proposals before the planning decisions are made and, if approved, the land sale contract will then be completed.

Headteacher Mark Phillips, who has already overseen significant improvements in teaching, learning and pupil achievement at the school, says:
“We are pleased that there has been a further step towards securing the funding which will enable us to create the teaching and learning facilities that ARK Putney Academy’s students deserve. Our school and neighbourhood community now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape the space around us and I would urge pupils, parents, staff and our wider community to get involved in the consultation.”

Work has already started to provide purpose-designed, high quality, temporary classrooms which will immediately improve the educational environment. The school will move into these buildings in February 2013, where they will remain until the renovations are complete.

November 20, 2012