Colleagues from our Wigan office joined pupils, parents and staff of Beech Hill Community Primary school at a foundation stone laying ceremony, to mark this significant milestone in the construction of their new £4.6m school.
Designed by NPS, the new state-of-the-art school is based on Wigan council’s model school design and boasts a number of sustainable and eco-friendly features including solar heating panels, rain water harvesting and low energy lighting. A community garden designed with the help of pupils will also encourage the children to actively engage with their surrounding environment.
Beech Hill is being re-built as part of the Wigan Schools for the Future programme and will see brand new, state-of-the art facilities constructed as part of the council’s plans to bring local schools up to 21st century standards.
Lord Smith of Leigh (Leader of Wigan Council) laid the foundation stone on Friday 2nd July alongside the Leader of Wigan Council and local ward councillors.
Wigan Council’s Cabinet Champion for Children and Young People, Cllr Susan Loudon, said: “It’s great to see how well the construction of the new school is progressing. I’m sure that the new facilities will eventually benefit not only the children, but the whole community.”
Work started on the new school in January 2010 and pupils are temporarily housed in a ‘modular village’ on the school grounds. Contractors, Walter Carefoot and Sons Ltd are working towards a scheduled completion in Spring 2011.
