Cost of new SEND school set to increase by £1.7m
LDRSThe cost of delivering a new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school in Derby is set to increase by more than £1.7 million, a new report has shown.
A Derby City Council meeting has been called for urgent approval of further spending to relocate Castle School from Cedar Street to St James House in Mansfield Road. The school is expected to open in September.
The Labour-led council approved the purchase of St James House, and associated works required to deliver a school from the site, in November 2024.
"Essential requirements" have been identified for the school's new site, meaning the total cost of getting it ready for students has soared from £800,000 to just over £2.5 million.
The new school is to have capacity for 100 pupils, which is a 60-place increase from the current number of places at the Cedar Street site.
There will also be 24 car parking spaces made available for the new school.
The ground floor will remain occupied by an engineering consultancy company, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.
Cost increases to the project include works to bring the building in line with current fire regulations, upgrading ventilation systems and replacing windows to one side of the building to ensure adequate noise insulation and meet planning conditions.
A council report said: "A phased approach to the design and works has been undertaken and the council has already successfully completed works to the third floor of the building, allowing the phased occupation of children, young people and staff.
"The costs of this initial stage have been contained within the original approved budget. However, the total cost of completing the works (delivering the remaining phases) has increased to £2.553m, requiring additional budget approval of £1.753m."
The urgent council meeting over the cost of the school will be held on Thursday.
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