Northampton School for Girls set for £2.75 million boost for improved facilities

The biggest beneficiaries will be Northampton School for Girls, which is set to be the beneficiary of a £2.75 million windfall following the sale of the Parklands School site, which had acted as a campus for the girls' school up until 2008. The money is set to be ring fenced for improving sports facilities.

Within the last year the county council had planning permission granted by their colleagues at Northampton Borough Council for a new 132-home development on the site. It now appears the county council has sold the land on, with a report stating: “NCC has a commitment to provide funding to improve sports facilities at Northampton School for Girls. Currently there is a shortfall as a result of the school no longer being able to access the former Parklands Middle site.”

Elizabeth Woodville’s campus in Deanshanger is also set to receive £68,000 to refurbish its tennis courts, as these are currently unusable due to their ‘poor condition’ which is impacting on their PE provision and outdoor space for pupils. The school has another campus in Roade.

The Manor School Sports College in Raunds has also been earmarked for extra funding, as it tries to increase its facilities for students. The council report states: “Manor School have been undertaking internal reconfiguration work to provide increased and improved accommodation for their students due to an increase in pupil numbers as a result of housing development.

“The cost for these works has increased due to some unexpected outlay which includes asbestos removal, additional Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) requirements and extra IT works. The school have value engineered the project and reduced the specifications in M&E, toilets and lighting to reduce costs along with removing some in-built furniture. However, they have a shortfall of £45,781 and have requested an uplift of funding from some of the remaining section 106 funds held by NCC to cover this.”

The Manor School and Elizabeth Woodville projects will both be funded by section 106 funds, which come from developers as a cash boost to improve infrastructure in surrounding areas as a result of their developments.

Members of Northamptonshire County Council’s cabinet are expected to green light the proposals - which form part of the authority’s capital budget for infrastructure projects - when they meet next Tuesday (February 11) at One Angel Square.