Preston-based Conlon Construction has completed a £3.8m school project for the children of army personnel.
The constructor began work on the new primary school at Weeton Barracks near Blackpool in January 2016. Now completed, the single-storey building replaces the old Weeton Primary School on nearby Grantham Road.
As well as seven classrooms, it boasts a new playground and all-weather sports pitch. The new site also has a library, a ‘Rainbow Room’ for children who need extra support, and a sports hall.
The project, commissioned and fully funded by Lancashire County Council as well as designed by the Council’s design and construction team, adds additional school places increasing the capacity of the former building from 160 to 210 children.
Weeton Primary School was originally built in 1958 to provide education for the children of service personnel. Since then it has welcomed over 5,000 pupils from countries including Singapore, Gibraltar, Australia, Ceylon and Bahrain.
Anthony Goth, head teacher at Weeton Primary School, said: “We worked closely with Lancashire County Council and Conlon to design the building to meet the needs of our children and are delighted to see our vision has come to life and exceeded our expectations. The staff and children are enjoying the new facilities and their bigger, brighter and more airy surroundings.
“It’s also great to have hot meals freshly prepared on site which wasn’t possible before. And the new building is well insulated keeping us all warm.”
Darren Lee, commercial director at Conlon Construction, said: “Weeton Primary School is the first education project that we have built at the heart of a military installation during our 55 years of business. We’re excited to have delivered it so successfully and to receive such positive feedback from the team at the school. It’s also great to see kids have plenty of inspirational space to keep their minds busy.”
