Morgan Sindall Construction has been selected as preferred bidder for the first phase of a major new education campus in Cambridgeshire, under a pre-construction services agreement.

The campus at Alconbury Weald will be driven by a working partnership between Morgan Sindall Construction, Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC), Huntingdon District Council (HDC), the Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust (DEMAT), the Spring Common Academy Trust (which will lead and manage the Prestley Wood Academy Special School) and the developer, Urban&Civic (U&C).

The project forms the next phase of Urban&Civic's delivery of Alconbury Weald, which currently include homes, a primary school, community facilities, green spaces, play areas and over one million square foot of business space. In total the development will comprise 5,000 new homes, health centre and retail hub, sustainable transport links, and over 500 acres of green space, including a country park.

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Phase 1 of the £36 million Alconbury Education Hub comprises the construction of:

• A 600-place secondary school with infrastructure to enable it to grow to provide 1,200 places in the future. The school has been named Alconbury Weald Church Academy, which will be run by the Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust

• A 300-place sixth form

• A 130-place special free school, Prestley Wood Academy, which will form part of the Spring Common Academy Trust. This school will serve children and young people aged 3 to 19 with complex special educational needs living in the development and the surrounding area.

The schools are scheduled to open from September 2023/2024.

The site is located in the centre of the overall development, and will lie at the end of a new park which will transform the old runway of the former Cold War airfield. The Campus buildings will form an important landmark, and sit adjacent to a civic square, which will connect the schools to the wider community. Morgan Sindall Construction previously delivered the £8.9 million Ermine Street Church Academy in 2016, which was the first school to open as part of the Alconbury Weald development.

Jamie Shearman, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: "It's fantastic to have been selected as preferred bidder to deliver the first phase of this significant investment for Cambridgeshire County Council. Urban&Civic's plans for Alconbury Weald promise to transform the area into a vibrant new community hub and the education campus will have pride of place at the heart of the project."