A consultation meeting was held on 17 October regarding the extensive re-building works to be started soon at this school. Plans were available around the room to show local people how the new buildings would look.
The front of the main building is listed and will not be changed. There will be major internal changes and some of the smaller surrounding buildings will be replaced.
Internal work on the building on the corner of Lennard Road and Aldersmead Road will start around 24 November 2014. Other demolition work will begin around March 2015, with full demolition for 3-4 weeks in May /June. Completion is planned for April 2017. Work on site will be 8am to 6pm on weekdays with 8am to 1pm on Saturdays if needed. They do not plan to work on Sundays or Bank Holidays. They have processes to monitor dust, noise and vibration.
Parking is likely to be an issue during construction. Project Manager, Ron Francis said the workers would be encouraged to use public transport, and of course New Beckenham station is close by, but that the company cannot force their workers to use the train. Early arrivals for work starting at 8am can soon lead to parking problems. Some parking bays along Reddons Road are to be suspended to allow access for larger vehicles to the site.
A Newsletter will be delivered to neighbouring houses before Christmas, and further consultation meetings are planned during the work.
It is encouraging that the construction company are explaining what is happening and offering contact points for any problems. The company is Kier Construction and Ron Francis can be contacted on 07813 458196, or at ron.francis@keir.co.uk if there are any problems during construction.