St John's Academy

The propsal is to erect a new Sports Hall, and all-weather outdoor hard surface playing pitch and provide new social space for the School's pupils

• The sports hall will include four Badminton, Basketball and Netball courts, with separate changing rooms and toilet facilities;
• The asphalt games courts will provide two courts suitable for sports including basketball and football;
• The other outdoor facilities include a fitness trail; outdoor table tennis; and social space including covered and open seating areas
• Significant new planting with hedges, native chalkland meadow and trees on the boundary.

The proposed new sports hall is a single storey building which will be coloured to reflect and respect the existing buildings and its setting in the wider area. The toilet facilities will be accessible from both the hall and outdoor space and improve the current under supply within the school.

The outdoor courts will not be lit and therefore only used during daylight hours. Fencing will surround the courts and will be overlooked by enhanced soft and hard landscape including the terraced seating and other covered and uncovered seating areas.  Native tree, hedge and native structure planting is proposed on the southern, western and northern boundaries of the site to integrate the building and fencing into the landscape and provide additional habitat.

The programme is to submit the planning application in December 2020 and secure planning permission in Spring 2021. The School have instructed a contractor to advise on the build programme and given the location of the site, the construction works can be physically separated from the existing school. Therefore there is no requirement to commence works during school holidays.

If construction commences in late Spring 2021, completion is likely in late Autumn 2021