Work to start on
new Holly Lodge Girls' College
MAYOR Joe Anderson is to kick
start construction of the new £7 million Holly Lodge Girls' College
in West Derby on Friday 10
January. The scheme will see a new main teaching block comprising
new humanities classrooms, new arts, music and drama spaces
including an activity hall, and a new 6th Form with a central atrium
and café area. It is part of the Liverpool Schools Investment
Programme, devised as a rescue package following the scrapping of
Wave 6 of Liverpool's Building Schools
for the Future (BSF) project, and 1 of the Mayor's key pledges.
The funding; a combination of City Council and Government money; was
negotiated as part of Liverpool's City Deal, and will see at least
12 schools receive investment.
The aim at Holly Lodge is to significantly reduce the number of
school buildings, some of which are over 100 years old and unsuited
to delivering a modern curriculum.
Mayor Anderson will take part in a
turf cutting ceremony at 10am with pupils, staff, local MP Stephen
Twigg and Cabinet member for education, Councillor Jane Corbett.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "I pledged to rebuild a
dozen schools to help transform the experience for tens of thousands
of present and future school pupils, and this is the 4th scheme that
we are starting work on. This investment in Holly Lodge Girls'
College is much needed to make sure pupils get the most out of their
learning."
The scheme includes a small extension to the existing sports hall
with new administrative offices and a new look reception. There will
also be a new half-sized floodlit artificial grass pitch which will
be made available to the local community.
Headteacher Julia Tinsley said:- "We absolutely love our site,
but time has caught up with it and it is a sad fact that the age and
layout is just not suitable for today's teaching. The new school
will address this and enhance the beautiful campus on which the
school is built, maintaining the unique character of Holly Lodge. We
are thrilled and delighted that the girls and staff will be given
the accommodation and ICT facilities they deserve. It will also be a
much more environmentally friendly school which will cost us less to
heat, maintain and repair."
The new building is arranged in proximity to the 5 buildings which
are being retained, which will greatly reduce lost teaching time as
a result of pupils having to walk long distances between lessons
It
is proposed that around a 3rd of the existing site at the front
nearest Queens Drive will be sold when the work is completed.
Kier Construction have been appointed to carry out the work, and a
target has been set for 95% of it to be subcontracted to firms in
the Liverpool and in Merseyside.
Hundreds of apprenticeships are
also being created through the schools investment programme.
Gary Wintersgill, MD of Speke based Kier Construction - Northern,
commented:- "As a local contractor celebrating 100 years of
operations in Liverpool this year the whole Kier team is delighted
to be involved in building new schools for the City's young people.
Around 85% of the cost of the Holly Lodge project budget will be
spent locally using local firms like Hawkspear and HE Simm,
providing both sustainable employment and training opportunities
across the City Region (Merseyside)."
The new building is scheduled to open in February 2015. |
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Bridging Finance
helps set student accommodation in motion
A former cinema in
Liverpool City Centre is set for a new lease of life as a new luxury
student accommodation thanks to Pinnacle Student Developments
Limited and property funding specialist Bridging Finance Limited.
The site was originally occupied by the iconic Paramount Theatre,
before it was taken over by Odeon Cinema in 1942. The ground has
been used as a temporary car park since the cinema was demolished in
2010.
Pinnacle Student Developments spotted the potential of the land
given its fantastic City Centre location, opposite Liverpool Lime
Street Station and within a ten minute walk of 3 University
Campuses. To realise its plans, the developer turned to short term
lender Bridging Finance to complete the purchase of the site.
Andrew Dixon at Pinnacle Student Developments said:- "The City
Centre location of the development is excellent, so we wanted to
purchase the land before other investors swooped in. Having
successfully worked with Bridging Finance in the past we approached
them for quick and flexible funding. Thanks to its prompt and
efficient processes we've been able to secure the land and start
construction on the site."
Chris Baguley, managing director of Bridging Finance Limited, said:-
"This was a highly sought after City Centre site, prime for
redevelopment so we worked hard to ensure we were able to provide
fast access to finance so Pinnacle could purchase the land and start
the reel rolling. Many traditional high street banks have stricter
lending rules and it can be a timely process, short term funding is
perfect for any property professional that needs to act quickly."
Pinnacle's Paramount student development will be a fresh,
contemporary piece of architecture, rejuvenating a prominent site
in Liverpool City Centre. Plans for The Paramount include 477 units
over 10 floors. It will offer a variety of 430 en-suite student
bedrooms and 47 studio study rooms complete with kitchen.
Bridging Finance Limited supplies bridging loans from £30,000 to in
excess of £2 million. It works with the professional sector and
their clients to offer flexible 12 month terms with no minimum
period.
For more information on Pinnacle Student Developments Limited visit
and the Paramount development:-
pinnaclemcglobal.com.
Come Dine with
Me Couples Wants you!!!
THE Channel 4's hit show
Come Dine with Me is coming to Merseyside with a new twist, and they
are looking for couples to take part in the series!! "Do you
and your other half host the best dinner parties in Town? It could
be your partner, housemate, sibling, wife or son - whoever adds the
winning ingredient to your perfect dining experience! The hugely
successful series Come Dine With Me is back. This time it will be
following 3 couples as they combine their hosting skills in an
attempt to prepare the best meal, be the best cooks and hold the
best all-round dinner party for each other. At the end of the
competition the winners walk away with £1000 cash! We are currently
looking for contestants for this new series and we think that your
staff and clientele may be interested in taking part in the show."
said Sian Lloyd from ITV. If you are interested in taking part
call:- 0871 200 3939 now!
VIKINGS TO HOST
CRUSADERS IN FRIENDLY!!!
WIDNES Vikings will host
North Wales Crusaders at the Select Security Stadium on Sunday, 19
January 2014, for the Club's 1st
pre-season friendly of the New Year. The friendly is a product of
the partnership between the Vikings and the newly promoted
Crusaders. The fixture, which kicks off at 3pm, is classified as a
home game for the Welsh Club. Admission is via cash on the gate; £10
adults and £5 concessions. The Crusaders will only be opening the
South Stand for this fixture.
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