Member Article

Eddisons delivers £500,000 improvement project for North Yorkshire academy school

Property consultant Eddisons has completed a £500,000 structural improvement project for the Elevate Multi Academy Trust’s Aspin Park Academy in Knaresborough, which has seen the 400-pupil primary school equipped with a new roof and fire safety system.

The firm’s education team, part of Eddisons’ building and project consultancy division, managed the project for the academy trust, from an initial application for Government funding in December last year, through to the 12-week completion of the new insulated flat roof and external fascia. The work also included a fire alarm system and new fire doors throughout the school. Principal contractor on the project was Leeds-based Everlast.

Fiona Conlen, facilities and contracts manager for the Elevate Multi-Academy Trust, said: “The work on the school has been transformative and has been managed and carried out incredibly smoothly from start to finish by Eddisons and Everlast.

“From securing the £500,000 Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) finance to installing the new roof and fire safety system, Eddisons was highly efficient and responsive to our needs as an academy and the project was completed with no delays. The end result is fantastic and has made Aspin Park a warmer, more environmentally friendly and safer place to be, making a real difference to the entire school community.”

Richard Steedman, Eddisons project manager for Aspin Park, said: “It is incredibly rewarding to work with schools such as Aspin Park, helping them initially to secure funding as part of the Elevate Multi Academy Trust and then to see the whole process of upgrading buildings and facilities through to completion, making day to day life better for both pupils and teachers.”

In the Government’s latest round of CIF annoucements, earlier this year, Eddisons’ education team secured more than £20m for 50 academy schools across the UK, including 24 in Yorkshire.

“Demand for our education team’s services has grown rapidly over the past few years and we look forward to helping more schools win funding to improve their environment in 2020,“Mr Steedman added.

Everlast commercial manager Ben Wearden said: “We started work on site at Aspin Park in July, as soon as the school broke up for the summer holidays and all the critical works were completed by the time the children returned in September. Cost savings along the way meant we were able to include some extras for the school within the budget, such as new partition walls.

“The thermal efficiency, environmental footprint, safety and aesthetics of the school have all been improved and it has been another great project to work on with our largest education client, Eddisons.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .