Member Article

Wates Construction breaks ground on £12 million Bradford school

Wates Construction has broken ground on the new £12 million Bradford Forster Academy on Fenby Road, Bradford.

Wates Construction will deliver a new 1,050-capacity school building for students aged 11 to 16 years.

Bishop Tom Butler, the Acting Bishop of Bradford - joined Academy sponsors: Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust (BDAT), Integrated Bradford LEP and Bradford Metropolitan District Council, to mark the start of construction on the project.

It is expected that the Academy will reach full capacity by September 2019.

Wates Construction is the main contractor to build the new £12 million school. Alongside the main school, Wates will also build an indoor sports facility with a four-court multipurpose hall that will be available for community use.

Throughout construction Wates has pledged to utilise the building works to create training and employment opportunities for local people, including a series of practical work experience placements on site.

David Price, business unit director, Wates Construction, Yorkshire, commented: “The start of construction is always a very exciting time as all project partners come together to see the plans for a new development begin to come to life.

“We have and will continue to work closely with Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, Integrated Bradford and Bradford Metropolitan District Council to ensure that Bradford Forster Academy will fulfil the shared vision for high quality education for the young people of Bradford.”

Garry McDonald, Senior Project Manager, Integrated Bradford LEP Limited, said: “We are pleased to have arrived at this milestone, which is a testament to the hard work invested by all project partners over the preceding seven to eight months.

“We now look forward to the next phase of this develop with the construction and completion of this exciting new project, which we trust will be a beneficial addition to the community for many years to come.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .