CONSTRUCTION works on a new £10 million school in Basildon, as part of a major new housing development, have now officially been completed.

The exterior building works for the new Chapel Hill Primary School and Nursery, in George Street in Basildon, have finished and a topping out ceremony was held with dignitaries and community figures as 242 photovoltaic panels installed on its completed roof.

The two-storey school, which is set to accommodate 476 pupils when it opens in September, will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, a library, main hall, a special educational needs therapy room and nursery, as well as designated science and design technology rooms and a full production kitchen.

Pick Everard provided project management services, collaborating closely with Barnes Construction and Essex County Council to bring one of the six schools under the Lee Chapel Multi-Academy Trust to fruition.

The school and integrated nursery– anticipated to be ready from September 2024 – is part of a planning deal associated with the controversial 725 new homes being developed at the site.

Outline permission was granted in June 2013 by Basildon Council, for the major development despite 838 objection letters and a 5,000-signature petition and then in October 2014 the Green Action Group takes its case to the High Court in a bid to halt the development, but a judge throws out their request, after the campaigners raised more than £20,000 to fight their cause.

Last May, plans for the school were agreed but Essex County Council's planning committee heard a lack of allocated parking for parents was not something the council could insist on because it was "not policy compliant". Instead a school travel plan will encourage most parents to walk. 

Sue Jackson, chief executive of Lee Chapel Multi-Academy Trust, said: "The topping out ceremony marks the significant progress that has been made in building our new state-of-the-art school and means we remain on target to welcome the children to Chapel Hill Primary School and Nursery on Monday, 2 September.

"The school is being built as a 'sister school' to Lee Chapel, where demand significantly exceeds the number of places. Chapel Hill will, like its sister Lee Chapel, quickly become a centre of educational excellence that is the jewel in Basildon's crown."

John Clarke, director at Pick Everard, added: ""Delivering inspirational educational settings is a key part of our strategy. We not only consider the benefits of today but also the long-term impact on the community, and Chapel Hill is exemplary of the way in which it integrates two key learning stages within one multi-use environment, with added sustainability measures.

"By providing a facility where children can thrive and grow, we are also helping to address the future educational and social needs of the area. With the project now in the final stages of construction, we're very much looking forward to its grand opening, as well as the facility being used for generations to come."