Blackburn with Darwen Council must find an extra £720,000 to cover cost overruns for improvement projects at two schools. The construction of new classrooms at Newfield School and an upgrade at St Michael with St John Church of England Primary School are both facing significant budget increases.
Senior councillors have been asked to find an extra £720,000 to pay for cost overruns for improvement works at two schools. Education boss Cllr Julie Gunn’s request will be debated at Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive board meeting on Thursday (January 9). She has asked it to approve the extra money in the authority’s Schools Capital Programme 2024-2025.
The construction of two new classrooms at Newfield School for children with additional needs in Old Bank Lane, Blackburn, is now forecast to run £650,000 over the initial approved budget. And an upgrade at St Michael with St John Church of England Primary School in Victoria Street, Blackburn, now needs a further £70,000 spending on it. Cllr Gunn’s report says: “Variations to existing approved schemes are requested including Newfield School where following full concept design and drawings, feasibilities and a high-level cost report the final outturn figure which is inclusive of the requirement for consequential improvements is estimated at £650,000 higher than the budget originally requested. “This increase is largely due to the time between the initial proposal and the delivery of a high-level cost report, and the inflationary costs attributed to the construction and manufacturing industries in this time period. Initial estimated costs for this scheme were based on 2021 rates from Spon’s (Architect and builders' price book) and BCIS (Building Cost Information Service). “The consequential improvements are: for an existing building with a total useful floor area of more than 1,000 square metres, additional work may be required to improve the overall energy efficiency of the building if proposed work consists of or includes any of the following – an extension; providing any fixed building service in the building for the first time; and increasing the capacity of any fixed building service (which does not include doing so on account of renewable technology)
SCHOOLS CONSTRUCTION COST OVERRUNS BLACKBURN EDUCATION
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