Issue details

Proposed decision:

     I.    Authorise the allocation of £1,225,000 from the Children’s, Young People and Education Basic Need Capital budget to complete the permanent expansion of the satellite of Whitfield Aspen Primary School (Dover), thus increasing the agreed allocation from £8,265,000 to £9,490,000.

    II.    Authorise the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the Director of Education and General Counsel to enter into any necessary contracts / agreements on behalf of the County Council.

Reason for the decision:

In May 2016, funding of £7,900,000 was agreed to support the expansion of Whitfield Aspen Primary School (Dover) on to a satellite site (Decision Number 16/00032). 

The intention was to open the satellite for the September 2019 academic year.  However, due to a number of reasons the satellite site was not occupied until September 2021.

The contract sum has been extended as a result of commercial decisions by KCC arising from:

• A lengthy delay between tender and entering contract resulting from legal delay in transferring the s106 land, and not the fault of the contractor
• Contributions by KCC to resolve unforeseen abnormals.
• Changes to the project scope agreed in 2017, deemed necessary to deliver services to the current pupil group.
• Additional safeguarding and security measures required by the time the School was occupied, which was more costly than had been anticipated at the design-freeze stage in 2017/2018.

Additionally,  the sports field was not included in the handover as a revised design was required which required the contractor to complete a section 73 planning application amendment.  Due to the level of work required to ensure that the sports field is fit for purpose, specialist sports field contractors have been engaged to tender for the works at a cost of £450,000. An additional £275,000 of capital funding was agreed via a non-key decision in August 2022 (decision number 22/00077) to enable to works on the sports field to be completed. 

Background

The expansion of Whitfield Aspen Primary School from 2FE to 3FE on a Satellite site was agreed by the Cabinet Member in 2016.  The expansion of the School being to support primary school places required within the Whitfield Urban Expansion (WUE).  This is a plan to add up to 5,750 new homes in Dover.  The WUE masterplan included provision for three new 2FE primary schools of which the Whitfield Aspen Primary School satellite would be one.