Recladding plan unveiled for Crookhorn College as part of improvement plan

Crookhorn College, southeast of Waterlooville, is made up of 11 buildings, including sports, gym, and concert halls, a community block, and a nursery within the grounds. One of the 11 blocks, the Goodwook block at the northeast of the Stakes Hill Road campus, requires improvement, Hampshire County Council said, with planning permission being sought to carry out the works.

At the moment, the building consists of a steel frame, single-glazed Crittall windows—metal-frame glazing—and a flat roof, in line with the SCOLA system used in Hampshire during the country’s baby boom. Over 14 years, 450 SCOLA school buildings were built in Hampshire and many aspects were only intended to last 25 years but, 50 years on, many of the school buildings are still in use.

The council has developed a system for re-cladding these types of buildings, retaining the existing steel frame structure and replacing building components at the end of their useful life. By doing so, the school, which has around 900 pupils aged between 11 and 16, should see improvements in thermal and ventilation performance and internal comfort.

If the planning application is granted, the existing brickwork, single glazing, and associated tiled panels would be removed, and the original building would be reclad with high-performance insulation and an external covering of brick slip panels. The existing windows and doors are also replaced with thermal double-glazed pieces. Another important improvement would be to re-roof the flat roof to reduce the loss of heat through it during the winter.

The construction phase will commence and be planned once a contractor has been appointed. However, it is expected that no work will start before 8am and after 5pm Monday to Friday. Public consultation is open until May 16. For more information, visit Hampshire County Council’s website with the APP/24/00290 application number.