Selby - New School Plans

TOWN CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT INCLUDES PLANS FOR BRAND NEW SCHOOL!

9 March 2005

New plans for Selby Town Centre being proposed by Dransfield Properties Ltd will bring forward a brand new state of the art school in the town.

If the ambitious new scheme is given the go-ahead a vital part of the plans are to relocate the existing Selby Abbey CE Primary School to new purpose built premises fronting Portholme Road.

Developers Dransfield Properties and the Hull based architects Morgan Lloyd  Jones have worked closely with the school as well as the York Diocese Board of Education and North Yorkshire County Council’s Education Department.

The new school has been designed to cater for 360 pupils with capacity for a further 30 – it will also have a 30 place nursery which is not available at the present New Lane site.

Other features the new building will offer include:

• A  brand new IT Centre
• Community and out of hours facility
• Modern classbases
• Flexible multi use teaching/resource spaces
• Hall and performance space
• Modern kitchens
• An all weather pitch as well as a multi use play area, soft
      Play area, traditional playground and habitat garden.

The school has been designed to new Department of Education design guidelines and will be fully accessible for all.

The architects Morgan Lloyd Jones have more than 20 years experience designing schools and were responsible for the country’s first PFI School which is at Victoria Dock in Hull. The company has also designed the first fully inclusive school for mainstream and SEN children, which is currently being built at York.

Architect Will Jones, said: “The new Selby Abbey school has been designed to the very latest guidelines offering a truly state of the art facility. This is an opportunity for the school to progress taking on board all the new technology and resources within a modern educational environment.

“The school will obviously maintain its strong links with the church and will the wider community.”

The Town Centre Regeneration Scheme, which includes the relocation of the school, has been unveiled today during a two-day public consultation session about the ambitious new development.

Dransfield Properties Ltd is putting forward the development blueprint for the heart of Selby’s shopping district, which is aimed at attracting more national retailers to the area as well as delivering the new school.

In 2003 the company was awarded the RICS Pro Yorkshire Award for Regeneration for The Mount - a mixed use scheme in East Hull which included the relocation of a 270-place primary school.

Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, Mark Dransfield, said: “The relocation of Selby Abbey Primary School is an important part of our plans for the town centre and we have been working with all the parties affected by these plans.

“This is an exciting time for the school and we are keen to engage everyone in the process as our plans progress.”

The consultation sessions are being held today (Wednesday  March 9th) from 12.30pm to 6pm and tomorrow (Thursday March 10th) from 12pm to 7pm, at the vacant shop next to Selles, the chemist in Market Cross Shopping Centre.
 
As well as plans and artists impressions of the school and the wider development there will also be a model of the new school available at the public consultation.

Everyone who attends will be given the chance to speak to the professional team and fill in comment forms giving their views on the development proposals.

For further information about Dransfield Properties log on to the company’s website at www.dransfield.co.uk

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

    Amanda Holmes, Public Relations –
    Dransfield Properties Ltd
    Tel: 01226 360644 or 07971 854733

EDITORS NOTES

1/ Dransfield Properties Ltd are based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire and are one of the leading specialist retail developers in the country specialising in projects of urban regeneration.

2/ Dransfield Properties was awarded the BCSC award for working with the community two years ago and for two years running has been awarded the RICs Pro Yorkshire Award for Regeneration in 2002 and 2003. The 2003 Award was for The Mount in Hull, which included the relocation of Craven Primary School to new purpose built premises.

3/ Morgan Lloyd Jones is a Hull based practice which more than 20 years experience of designing schools. The company designed the UK’s first PFI School.

For further information, contact:

Public Relations Department, Dransfield Properties Ltd
Tel: 01226 360644
Email: pr@dransfield.co.uk