Designs for new £10m village school unveiled

Designs have been revealed for a £10m village school development in Herefordshire that will see it double in size.

The new Peterchurch Primary School will be constructed near to the existing site in the Golden Valley.

The planning application, submitted by developers Tilbury Douglas, said the current site's buildings were "piecemeal" and had "significant issues", including leaks, asbestos, poor daylight and insulation.

The new single-storey building will include a taller main hall and larger teaching areas and allow pupil numbers to rise from 105 to 210.

County councillors agreed to spend more than £10m on the project in October 2022 and appointed Exeter-based Tilbury Douglas last year to develop the plans.

The firm said it planned to site the new school slightly away from the current one to reduce the need for temporary classrooms.

Plans include a new multi-use games area to the rear of the new buildings and a grass football pitch on existing playing fields.

The largely square new building will have classrooms around the perimeter to benefit from natural light, while the library and other areas will be naturally lit from above.

The school's swimming pool will be kept as well as its existing vehicle entrance and pedestrian access.

Tilbury Douglas said the new buildings would replace a school "formed of lots of small rooms that are not fit for their purpose".

It is expected to have 30 pupils per school year in seven classrooms and a 26-place nursery.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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