A project to replace a Derbyshire school in urgent need of a full rebuild has surged in price by £3 million since it was signed off two years ago.
Derbyshire County Council is carrying out the entire replacement of Bramley Vale Primary School, in York Crescent, four miles south of Bolsover, with a budget of £5.5 million agreed in January 2021.
Now the council has disclosed that for various different reasons the cost of the project has now surged to £8.5 million.
The school, which has 155 pupils and capacity for 175, aged three to 11, is near the top of the council’s list of repair jobs.
It says the current school building is “at the end of its life and requires replacement”, with a backlog of repairs of £1.1 million as of early 2021.
A paper to be discussed by the council next week details the reasons for the skyrocketing costs.
It says that during the design process, after the budget was approved, it was agreed to add an additional classroom and a cooking kitchen, which pushed the budget up to £6.43 million (£925,000 more), which was funded by money from other projects and extra council support in early 2022.
Meanwhile, in December the council approved a further £891,430 to cover the cost of a car park and “significant increases in material and labour costs”, with funding again dragged across from other schemes.
Alongside this, the council says “the phasing of the works to enable the school to continue operating has proved complex” which has pushed the overall cost to £8.56 million, requiring a further £1.14 million in support, funded through Government grants for buildings at risk.
The council previously said the new replacement school will be situated opposite the recently completed foundation block.
Council officials said the project will be carried out in phases to allow the school to be rebuilt on its current site, whilst remaining open to limit disruption to the pupils.
The authority says: “The school is at the heart of its small community and it would provide buildings that meet current standards and enhance the education of its pupils.”
