Rain doesn't 'steel' the show on Ponteland site visit
07 Jun 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
On a rainy May day, students from Ponteland High School visited the site of the new schools and leisure development in the town, seeing the structural steel frame for the secondary school starting to take shape.
The secondary school is part of one of the largest school and leisure complexes ever to be developed in Northumberland and will be linked to a new leisure centre and cultural and sports facilities and a new primary school.
The groundbreaking development is being funded by Northumberland County Council and built by Kier Construction.
Five students from year 9 at Ponteland High School visited the site with headteacher Kieran McGrane and were very impressed by the work taking place there.
Mr McGrane said: “It was fascinating to see the steel structure starting to take shape. Our visit also provided myself and the students with a real sense of the scale of the building work and development being undertaken. We all agreed that it will be a huge improvement on our current buildings!”
The students joined leader of Northumberland County Council, Cllr Peter Jackson, and deputy leader and cabinet member for children's services, Cllr Wayne Daley, as well as representatives of Kier Construction and other members of the development team.
Cllr Daley said: "I think the students were very impressed by the start of the steelwork construction, and to see the work going on on the site in general.
“It is very important that we involve the schools in the development as it progresses, and who knows, one of these young people may be inspired to pursue a career related to the construction industry.
"This development is going to provide a fantastic educational and cultural facility for the community and I very much look forward to tracking its progress."
Cllr Peter Jackson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said: "The start of steelwork construction has been a significant milestone for the project.
“I am very pleased to see that Kier Construction are engaging well with the local community here in Ponteland - not only with site visits like this but also through the recent Open Doors Week, where members of the public were able to book on a tour of the site. Look out for more opportunities like this!"
At this trailblazing development there will be new primary and secondary schools as well as state of the art leisure facilities including a swimming pool, fitness suite, badminton courts, Clip N Climb, soft play, outdoor sports fields, a full size 3G pitch, a library and community facilities.
Brian McQuade, Managing Director of Kier Regional Building –Scotland & North East added: “We are delighted to be able to deliver the next generation of leisure and school facilities at this ground-breaking development in Ponteland.
“As the finished facilities here will be used by local people for years to come, it is important for us to not only leave a legacy for the local area by involving them in our works but also to the youngsters themselves. They are the future of the area and the next generation of engineers that might want to consider a career in construction as a result of what they learn from us here.”
The new schools are part of a reorganisation of the Ponteland Partnership which is seeing a multi-million pound investment in schools including extensions to some primary schools and a new school at Darras Hall.
After completion of the new buildings the existing Ponteland Leisure Centre will be demolished and sports pitches established there.
The schools and leisure development is scheduled for completion by September 2020.
Work has also started on construction of a new fire station on Callerton Lane which will replace the old station being displaced by the development. This is due to be complete by the end of 2019.