BIG SPLASH AS COLLEGE SWIMS INTO EXCITING FUTURE
Exciting times are ahead for Seaford College, which has been given the green light to start work on its long-awaited new boys’ boarding house, a sports centre and swimming pool.
The College has been working in conjunction with Chichester District Council for more than two years on a proposal which will give Seaford some of the most modern boarding facilities in the South East, as well as a state-of-the-art sports and leisure facility which will benefit both the school and the local community.
Headmaster Toby Mullins said: “This was fantastic news and a huge relief after the many months of hard work. We have been working closely with the council for the last two years, as well as with some of the area’s top architects, to come up with this plan and are delighted that all our endeavours have been worthwhile.”
The first phase of the new development will be the building of the boarding house, which will eventually replace Johnson Hall and fulfil a long-awaited need. Situated in the former walled garden at the College, the boarding house has been designed to blend in with existing buildings on the campus.
Designed by Chichester-based HNW Architects and to be built by W Stirland Ltd, also of Chichester, the boarding house will be built of buff brick under a slate roof, the comprising two three-storey blocks, to accommodate more than 80 students, plus staff accommodation.
All rooms will have double-glazed white sash windows, in keeping with the rest of the school, and a stone entrance canopy with pillars, emulating those of the Mansion House.
English Heritage has worked with the College to plan a regeneration of the Elizabethan walled garden and work should get underway in March, once building regulations have been agreed. It should be completed within a year, so the first new residents can move in post-Easter 2011.
Exhaustive ecological surveys were carried out to ensure the development complied with the local conservation plan, with studies into badger, otter and dormouse habitats as well as reptiles, bats and birds.
Mr Mullins said: “There is no doubt that this is an enormous project – by far the biggest in the history of the school – but it will provide the school with some outstanding amenities.”
The new 25-metre indoor swimming pool and sports facility will be built adjacent to the school’s existing Sports Hall, and incorporate a fitness suite, two squash courts, a dance studio and changing rooms.
Work will start on the Swimming Pool and sports complex as soon as the main site for the Boarding House has been finished. Both the pool and the sports facilities will be open to local residents, under a membership scheme, for use on weekday evenings, weekends and during school holidays.
Mr Mullins said: “We already work closely with local schools in the maintained sector and assist a wide range of local charities. However, there is undoubtedly a need for improved sporting facilities in the local area which we can now help fulfil.”
The development plan also includes the replacement of 18 staff houses at the western periphery of Lavington Park. The new properties have been individually designed by award-winning Neil Holland Architects of Arundel and are again in keeping with the existing listed buildings and historic parkland.
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