Kiers journey to build a £39m state-of-the-art education campus in Estover came full circle after three years of building works.

A 'bridging ceremony' was held to join together the third and final phase of the construction programme, including the new Tor Bridge Primary School and Cann Bridge School (formerly Downham School) to Phase 1, which includes the senior Cann Bridge School and Tor Bridge High School.

Cllr Nicky Williams, cabinet member for children and young people, 'broke through' the wall separating the different phases in a ‘bridging ceremony’, which effectively joined the campus together as a whole for the first time since construction by Kier began in spring 2009.

Cllr Williams said: "I was extremely pleased and proud to be asked to join together the fantastic Tor Bridge campus, which has been a huge investment in the city for almost three years. Not only is it a fantastic education environment for children and young people to learn in, but it’s also a wonderful community facility for all to enjoy. It’s also been a significant economic investment for the city which has provided jobs, apprenticeships and inspirational development."

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Tor Bridge is the £39m building project at the former Estover Community College commissioned by Plymouth City Council. It has largely been funded by the Government as a One School Pathfinder for the Building Schools for the Future programme, but has also received substantial funding direct from the council's education investment programme to achieve not just a secondary school but a true community facility.

The campus features some fantastic sporting facilities for general community use as well as use by students including a floodlit astroturf pitch, football and rugby pitches, a running track and cricket square, a large sports hall, three new games areas and a fully equipped gym. It also includes Plym Bridge Nursery and Children’s Centre.

Due to the scale of the transformation, Kier split building work into three phases, with most of the major work taking place throughout 2010 and during the summer holiday in 2011, with the aim of keeping disruption to school life at a minimum.

Kier Construction operations director, David Snell, said: "It has been an amazing journey for Kier. It is the largest project we have ever built in Plymouth and has involved nearly 2,000 workers covering all the various construction trades. It has also been one of our most successful sites - having been awarded two national Considerate Constructors ‘Gold’ awards marking it out as one of the best sites in the country.

"This has been thanks to building an excellent relationship with the school, which has had to put up with us working alongside them in a live environment for over three years. The end result is a wonderful learning environment and we are looking forward to finally handing over the primary school building at the end of August in time for the new academic year."

(CD)