Concerns over £6m extension plan for Barnoldswick school (From Craven Herald)

Concerns over £6m extension plan for Barnoldswick school

2:12pm Thursday 17th January 2013 in News

Concerns over £6m extension plan for Barnoldswick school

Councillors have welcomed plans for a £6.2 million extension at a Barnoldswick school, but voiced concerns about its design and floodlighting around a proposed all-weather sports pitch.

West Craven Area Committee members discussed a Lancashire County Council scheme for the multi-million pound extension at West Craven High Technology College.

The plans include the demolition of the art block, two detached classrooms and an outrigger building and the building of a new reception area, a small first- floor extension to the front, a three-storey rear extension, a single-storey extension to the dining area, a two-storey classroom extension, a new all-weather pitch and floodlighting and security fencing.

Pendle Council’s planning officers recommended objecting to the plans because of the design and lack of detail about the floodlights.

Neil Watson, Pendle’s planning and building control manager, said the aluminium cladded roofs proposed for the smaller extensions represented “poor design”.

Committee chairman Coun David Whipp (Lib Dem) said: “I do welcome further investment in upgrading the school. It’s an ugly building, so anything that helps it look better would only be an improvement.

“In terms of overall appearance, the school’s always been a bit of a mish-mash. But these aluminium elements just add to the piecemeal development that’s been done over the years.”

John Drury, a school governor, said the objection to the aluminium cladded roofs was “weak” and the design for the all-weather pitch had yet to be decided. “We’ll comply with whatever standards are required,” he added.