What a waste! School conservatory to be replaced (From Worcester News)

What a waste! School conservatory to be replaced

7:10am Friday 1st May 2009 in

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ALMOST £100,000 is to be spent renovating a Worcester primary school – less than three years after it was built.

Worcestershire County Council plans to demolish a glass conservatory at Fairfield Community Primary School, Brickfields, and replace it with a new brick room.

The council claims the conservatory – designed as an activity space – has been subjected to vandalism and only rarely used since the school opened in June 2006.

But Worcester City Council planning officers have suggested the real reason is that the baking heat inside the glass-walled room means it cannot be used as a “learning environment”.

Planning committee member and Labour councillor Paul Denham said: “The only comment I would make is – what a waste of public money!

“It's only been built a year or two and now it’s being replaced. What a waste! The conservatory seems like a ridiculous thing for them to have built.”

A report to the city council's planning committee by head of urban environment John Wrightson said: “It has been identified that the existing school requires a small group teaching space which resembles the home environment, in order to teach and nurture children who require moresupport and attention.

“The existing conservatory structure does not satisfy these needs and due to its south facing orientation it becomes warm quickly, creating an unsuitable learning environment.”

Senior planning officer Alan Coleman added that the unpleasant heat inside the room was the “raison d’etre” for knocking it down.

Fairfield Primary School was built in 2006 on the site of the former Elbury Mount Primary School.

Its new £92,000 extension will be used as a 'nurture room' for aiding pupils' emotional development.

Speaking after the meeting, a Worcestershire County Council spokesman said: "The conservatory was included in the original design for the school to provide an indoor activity space additional to the school's basic needs.

“Unfortunately, the building has experienced numerous incidents of vandalism and this has led to it being seldom used.

"The proposals to re-model this space into a nurture room will be of great benefit to the school.

“The glazed part of the conservatory will be replaced with roof and walls that match the rest of the building.

“The works will re-use all of the existing steel structure, foundations, floors and brickwork to minimise any abortive costs associated with the change."

Yesterday the headteacher of Fairfield Primary Justin Schiffmann declined to comment as he has only been in the post one week.