A significant expansion plan to double the size of Chuter Ede Fernwood Primary School in Newark has been approved by Nottinghamshire County Council's Planning and Rights of Way Committee.

At a recent meeting, the committee gave the green light for a single-storey extension at the school, located in the Fernwood area of Newark. This expansion, led by the county council, will increase the school's capacity from 210 to 420 pupils, helping to meet the growing demand for school places in an area experiencing continued housing development.

The approved project will see the construction of eight new classrooms at the school, along with additional facilities including sports pitches for rounders and football, a running track, and two hard PE courts. The expansion also includes plans to extend the existing staff car park, increasing the number of spaces from 16 to 39, with provisions for electric vehicle (EV) charging points. Solar panels are also set to be installed on the roof of the extension to promote sustainability.

-- Advertisement --

Councillor Ben Bradley, the county council's Cabinet Member for Education and SEND, said: "I'm fully supportive of this expansion project and it comes at an exciting time for school developments in Nottinghamshire, with expansions and improvements planned and taking place across the county.

"This forms part of our ongoing commitment to ensure all children in Nottinghamshire have access to the best education. A key ambition of this council is to build and expand schools and there is no better investment than securing a good education for our young people.

"This project will deliver an additional 210 primary school places and helps to address the growing demand for primary school places in the area.

"I'm sure this is very welcome news for families in this part of Newark and I look forward to the project getting underway."

The expansion project will be managed by the county council in partnership with Arc Partnership, a joint venture between the council and SCAPE. Arc will be responsible for designing, delivering, and cost-managing the improvement scheme.

Chuter Ede Fernwood, an annex of Chuter Ede Primary School in Balderton, was originally built in 2012 to cater to the growing number of children from the new Fernwood estate. The school's development is taking place in three phases, with this extension representing the third and final phase. The first two phases have already been completed, with the addition of a sports field, outdoor play areas, car parking, and landscaping.