Press release: Selected Bidder announced for Gateshead and South Tyneside schools
24 September 2007
South Tyneside and Gateshead Councils' joint press release:
South Tyneside and Gateshead Councils have reached a major milestone in their plans to build new secondary schools in South Tyneside and Gateshead under the £176m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.
The two councils are minded to appoint inspiredspaces as Selected Bidder to go through to become the private sector partner to form its Local Education Partnership.
To get to this stage, inspiredspaces have developed proposals for the new Jarrow School and Mortimer Community College – the first two to be developed under the BSF programme – as well as the Cleadon Park Primary Care Centre and Community Facilities. These proposals have been developed with representatives from the schools and both local authorities. They have also been shared with local residents and parents and the designs have developed.
12 schools in Gateshead and South Tyneside are expected to benefit from the BSF scheme.
Councillor Jim Foreman, South Tyneside Council’s Lead Member Children and Young People, said: "This a really exciting time for the project as we can now work with inspiredspaces to finalise proposals for the partnership so that we can exploit this superb opportunity to create modern schools of which we can all be proud.
"We encouraged the bidders to dream big, and this has been taken on board by the consortia, who have developed proposals that are both challenging and interesting. We look forward to the next few months, during which the final details will be developed for the new buildings and then towards next year when building work can begin."
Councillor Catherine Donovan, Gateshead Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People says: "The partnership between Gateshead and South Tyneside has gone from strength to strength during this process and it is a testament to the hard work of the Project Team, that they have continued to keep to their strict timetable to ensure that the much-needed schools investment is provided as soon as possible to the benefit of local communities in South Tyneside and Gateshead."
Stanley Johnson the STaG (South Tyneside and Gateshead) Project Director says: "I am delighted that through the hard work of the STaG Project Team, the schools, the two local authorities, together with the support of Partnership of Schools, we are able to announce that we are minded to appoint inspiredspaces as our private sector partner.
"Over the next few months representatives from across the project will be working with the consortia to fine tune their design proposals and we hope to see works starting on site in early to mid 2008."
Planning applications for the new schools are expected to be submitted over the next few months and as part of the on-going consultation process, consultation events will be held at both schools for local people to see and comment on inspiredspaces proposals.
Notes to editors:
- More than 50 local authorities across the country originally bid for inclusion in the Government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project, and only 10 were chosen. South Tyneside’s bid with Gateshead was the only joint proposal to be successful. South Tyneside is getting £112m and Gateshead £30m to rebuild or refurbish their secondary schools and make them fit for the 21st Century.
- BSF projects in South Tyneside will include new buildings and remodelling at Mortimer, Hebburn, Harton, Jarrow, St Joseph’s RC and St Wildrid’s RC Schools, as well as a new building to replace King George V and Brinkburn comprehensives which will merge on one site.
- In Gateshead, two new secondary schools will be built under the BSF programme to replace the existing Thomas Hepburn Secondary School in Felling and Heworth Grange Secondary School in Heworth.
