Planning granted for The Gregg School

This year will see some impressive changes that will benefit both students and parents at The Gregg School in Southampton.

A planning application has recently been approved to create a new two-storey teaching block worth in the region of £2m.

The independent day school, located in Townhill Park, Southampton, is set within stunning gardens and the main school building is grade II listed. The approved application relates to the existing tennis court which is framed by mature trees and a tall hedge and located to the south of the orchards.

The approved works will replace the existing temporary Science laboratories and Home Economics building with an attractive new two-storey teaching block. The Gregg School worked closely with the design and architectural team from Dorset based R Schools, to create a building proposal with a curved roof design and the main elevation will be a mixture of render and timber cladding to be sympathetic to the parkland surroundings.

R Schools is a specialist team from an established and well-trusted construction provider, the Rollalong Group, and they create new schools and school extensions by using a combination of traditional in-situ building techniques and offsite manufacturing capability.

The successful proposal from R Schools will allow teaching to continue during the construction period, due to the use of their offsite techniques. This will minimise waste, time, disruption and power demands, making for a more efficient overall build.

The new building, with nearly 1000m² of accommodation, will consist of five large science rooms, a prep room, 4 classrooms, a large fully equipped Home Economics room and a significantly sized atrium area.  Once completed, the temporary buildings will be removed and this will allow space to be freed up to rationalise car parking on site by providing a dedicated mini bus parking space.

Vince Davis, the Gregg School Bursar commented: "The R Schools team quickly understood the needs of the school and produced very impressive plans for the planning application.  Their professional help and guidance throughout the process has been very much appreciated."

The heart of any school is the teaching environment and learning has proved to be more effective in pleasant surroundings. For more information visit www.buildmeaschool.co.uk