Morgan Sindall has started construction work on a new primary school and nursery in the Essex village of Runwell.

Morgan Sindall Construction's Essex business has been appointed to deliver the £5.5 million scheme under the current Essex County Council Framework (ECF2). The project team, together with Concertus design and property consultants, have taken the project from feasibility and planning to the project commencing on site. The Eveleigh LINK Academy Trust has been appointed to manage the primary school section of the site.

Built on the former Runwell Hospital site in St Luke’s Way and due to open in September 2022, the one form school will provide 210 primary and 56 nursery places for families in the new 575-home St Luke's Park development.

Peter Whitmore, Managing Director for Morgan Sindall Construction's East region, said: "Demand for both school and early years and childcare places in the Chelmsford district has risen significantly and St Luke’s Park Primary School and Nursery will play a key role in meeting this requirement with a high-quality learning environment. At Morgan Sindall Construction we have a lot of experience in delivering first-class schools that enrich the local area and we’ve applied this expertise to this project to ensure that it supports the area’s families and their children for generations to come.

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"We're looking forward to working closely with Essex County Council, our site neighbours and the whole project team as we move forward with the delivery of Runwell’s brand new school."

Tony Ball, Essex County Councillor, said: "The building of St Luke’s Park Primary school and nursery will be invaluable to the local community in Runwell and will create more high quality school and nursery places locally through these new state-of-the-art facilities.

"I was delighted to attend the ground breaking ceremony at the site and I look forward to taking a tour around the new school once it is complete."

The Trustees of The Eveleigh LINK Academy Trust (TELAT) have warmly received the announcement from the Dept. of Education's Regional Schools Commissioner that following a successful presentation in June that The Eveleigh Link Academy Trust has been awarded the sponsorship of a new primary school on the St. Luke’s Park Development at Runwell near Wickford in Essex.

The one-form entry school will include state-of-the-art teaching facilities in both the primary and nursery sections of the site as well as sports pitches and external hard play areas.