Plans to demolish and rebuild Derby school submitted

Pear Tree Infant School be demolished, rebuilt and merged with Walbrook Nursery, under the Government-led plans

Plans to demolish and rebuild a Derby infant school and merge it with a nursery have been submitted. The scheme, submitted by the Department for Education to Derby City Council, would see Pear Tree Infant School in Normanton bulldozed and rebuilt.

A larger, two-storey, more modern replacement building would be constructed to replace the infant school on the playing fields of the neighbouring Pear Tree Junior School, through a land swap. When the current one-storey infant school is demolished it will be “regreened” to provide an under 9s football pitch for the junior school.

Meanwhile, the new building would also cater for further students, with the new school to also house Walbrook Nursery, in Middleton Street, which is run by the same governing body. It would have 11 classrooms, a library, staff room, activity studio and assembly hall.

A decision will be made by the city council in the next few months. Documents submitted as part of the application detail that the three-form infant school in Pear Tree Street currently has 270 pupils, which would remain the same, but that the larger building would also accommodate the extra 47 nursery pupils – with the overall building to have an increased capacity for 364 pupils.

It says the school was selected to be part of the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme in July 2022, with a project which would also include a multi-use games area and a new car park. Four additional parking spaces would be provided, increasing from 20 to 24, the application details, including one electric vehicle charging point and four further spaces having infrastructure for charging points to be added at a later date.

The overall internal floor space provided by the scheme would increase from the current 1,322 square metres to 1,962 square metres. A report filed with the plans says the land swap arrangement “will allow for the new school building to be constructed with as little disruption to the education of pupils as possible”.

It says: “Once the new school has been constructed and the existing pupils and staff have decanted into the new building, the existing school will be demolished.” The report says: “The new building will be more energy efficient for future winter resilience and net-zero in operation, with the old facilities being replaced by a modern education environment including new classrooms, sports halls and dining room.”

Plans show that some outdoor play areas would have an overhead awning covered in solar panels, while the “green” roof of the building would be covered in a solar panels along with wildflower planting.

The report says: “Great emphasis has been placed on good design, innovation and sustainability. The design and materials of the proposed development will enhance thermal and acoustic insulation, natural light and ventilation, thus improving energy efficiency and comfort for teachers and students. Landscaping improvements will further enhance the school environment and facilities available to students and the community generally.”

It says the new school “will deliver a high-quality teaching environment and new high-quality facilities”.

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