West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school have been approved by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee.
The school will generate its own renewable energy on site and aims to be the first school in West Sussex to achieve Passivhaus certification.
The school will be created at Homes England’s new Brookleigh development near Burgess Hill.
Nigel Jupp, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills, said:
Planning approval marks a major milestone in our ambition to create an environmentally-friendly and high-quality new secondary school in Mid Sussex. It is uniquely designed to achieve Passivhaus certification and lead the way in energy efficiency. In addition, Brookleigh families will be able to walk or cycle to their new place of education, again demonstrating the County Council’s commitment to significantly reducing carbon emissions as part of our Climate Change Strategy. By creating this modern and high standard school, we are investing in our children’s future and in the long-term future of our county.
Graham Hyslop, Homes England’s Project Director, said:
Homes England is committed to providing new schools as part of a truly sustainable community at Brookleigh. This planning approval is great news, and we’ll continue to work closely with West Sussex County Council and the University of Brighton Academies Trust as the ambitious design is built. In order to further support low-carbon lifestyles and traffic-free commutes to school, we’ll be providing a network of walking and cycling routes at Brookleigh. These routes will link new homes, schools, parks and shops and make active travel an easy choice for families.
West Sussex County Council has approved capital funding of £57.060m to build the secondary school, making it the largest capital project the council has delivered. This includes a £18.159m contribution from Homes England as part of the overall development.
The new secondary school is being delivered through the County Council’s multi-disciplinary consultancy partnership with Faithful+Gould, with Atkins and Cundalls leading on the design.
The school will include a Special Support Centre enabling children with special educational needs and disabilities to be supported to learn in a mainstream school.
Net-zero in operation, the building will have nearly 1,000 solar PV panels generating an estimated 296,000 kWh of energy a year. The LED lighting will be controlled automatically by daylight and movement detection. The main building will have fresh air ventilation, keeping the school a comfortable temperature, even in extreme heat.
Richard Christmas, lead designer at Atkins, said:
This is a really positive step forward for the proposed school which has been designed to promote well-being and educational attainment for all learners who use the building and create a project with a low environmental impact.
