The Quest Academy, Coloma Trust in Selsdon, Croydon, has been given the go-ahead for a new school building with the announcement that planning permission for the £16m development has been granted by Croydon Council.

Contractor, Wates Construction, is now set to commence the building works, which will see the creation of a brand new school building with a capacity for 900 students aged 11 to 16 years. The project will also include a 215-capacity for the Academy's growing Sixth Form and new facilities for the Monks Hill Sports centre and space for a new community facility. Funding for the latter two areas has been provided by Croydon Council and added to the Education Funding Agency’s Central Government Funding of £14.5m.


This new stage follows approval of the plans to build the new facility alongside the existing school building, which will be demolished upon completion of the work. Taking its place will be a new landscaped area to complement the surrounding green spaces.

Designed by CPMG Architects, the rebuild project will utilise Wates' Adapt school building model, which can facilitate a 21% reduction in build programme and cost savings on average of 23% against a typical BSF school building.

Richard Shroll, Business Unit Director for Wates Construction, London and Kent, commented: "This marks a huge step forward in the creation of a brand new 21st century learning environment for The Quest Academy and I am delighted that the hard work to design a state-of-the-art facility for the young people of Selsdon, Croydon has been recognised. This project utilises our Adapt model, which has been developed in partnership with CPMG to ensure the individual needs of the school are met with efficiency, without a compromise on quality."

(CD)