Home   News   Article

Subscribe Now

Grove Leisure Centre site confirmed as location for new Orchard School




The site of a leisure centre razed to the ground by arsonists is set to undergo a £15m transformation and become a new special school.

The area off London Road in Balderton is made up of the now-demolished Grove Leisure Centre, existing Newark Day Centre, a former pupil referral unit building and small landscape depot.

An artist impression of the new Orchard School, which will be located near to the Newark Academy. (4211510)
An artist impression of the new Orchard School, which will be located near to the Newark Academy. (4211510)

The new school - a replacement for the Orchard, which has split sites on London Road and at Appletongate, Newark, is expected to open its doors in 2020, and detailed plans are set to be revealed at the end of this month.

The leisure centre was struck by arsonists on September 15, 2017.

At the height of the fire, approximately 50 firefighters and nine appliances from Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire tackled the blaze.

The investigation into the fire remains open. Several youths were arrested at the time, but were later released without charge.

Nottinghamshire Police has again asked anyone with information about the fire to contact them.

Now, plans to give the site a new lease of life have been formally approved by the Conservative-led Nottinghamshire County Council.

The chairman of the county council's children and young people’s committee, councillor Philip Owen said the plans were progressing well and on schedule for the April 2020 opening.

“The replacement of Orchard Special School is a key aspiration of the county council and the new premises will undoubtedly deliver outstanding service for vulnerable children and adults for many years to come," he said.

“We have consulted widely with service users and stakeholders of the existing facilities, and the new designs have been drawn up to ensure their views are central to the scheme.”

An artist impression of the new Orchard School. (4211508)
An artist impression of the new Orchard School. (4211508)

The redevelopment of the site will mean the existing day centre will be demolished. As part of this, Woods Court in Newark, a residential care and support centre, will be adapted as a temporary new home for the existing day service, whilst the redevelopment work takes place.

The designs being submitted are for a 140-place school, with capacity for expansion to 170 places in the future.

The campaign to replace the Orchard School has been a lengthy one with the fabric of the buildings at both sites long described as the worst in Nottinghamshire.

The campaign has been led by the Advertiser, Newark MP Robert Jenrick and politicians from across the political divide.

A spokeswoman for Nottinghamshire Police said: “Several youths were arrested or interviewed but released without charge.

“If anyone has any information that could help, regarding the incident last year, please call us on 101 quoting incident 852 of September 15, 2017,” the spokeswoman said.



Comments | 0
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More