Ashe Construction has been awarded a £24m design and build contract to build a new primary school and community health hub for Milton Keynes Council just off junction 14 of the M1 as part of the Council’s MK East development. The scheme is in preparation for 5,000 new homes being built in the area.
The MK East school project, located on the A509, is valued at around £14.5m, and will provide 39 nursery places and 630 primary places. The 3,400sq m school will have 21 classrooms and two halls and will be of steel frame construction with brickwork and cladding. It will form the first part of an all-through school with plans for a future secondary school located approximately 250m across the road. Sports provision, which will be open for community use, will include two youth grass football pitches and a tarmac multi use games area.
The community health hub is valued at around £9.5m, and will provide a range of primary care, community health and other community-based services. The 1,900sq m building will accommodate a community use hall, offices, meeting rooms and children’s centre. Both projects will have drop-off and car-parking facilities.
The development forms part of Milton Keynes’ largest new housing and employment area since 2007 and this latest contract is part of the Council’s plan to have infrastructure in place before residents move in.
Ian Robbins Ashe Construction’s Managing Director said: “We are very experienced in creating modern education and health facilities and this prestigious project will provide the focal point of a brand-new community. We are excited to be playing our part in delivering high quality facilities that will stand the test of time, for the families who will make the area their home for many years to come.”
Cllr Zoe Nolan, Cabinet Member for Children and Families at MK Council commented: “We are excited to have taken the first major step in this process. The new school will be the first planned primary to be built in the area and we expect it to become an all-through school, providing 630 pupil places and 39 nursery places to an exciting new community. This means no stressful transitions for children as they remain there for both primary and secondary education. With an all-through school, the parents get to build a strong relationship with the school over that period.”
Ashe has been employed to manage the complete design and build contract and has developed the scheme from feasibility over a 15-month period. The project has been procured under the Pagabo Major Works Framework and is being partially funded by the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund which is also providing support for the associated highways infrastructure to serve the development.
Header image: CGI of Milton Keynes East School
