Construction Industry Gong Goes To… Denbighshire

Denbighshire County Council is celebrating picking up a prestigious award which recognises excellence in local authority construction. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Council took the Project of the Year title at the annual Consortium of Local Authorities Wales (CLAW) Awards for the £1.3 million extension of Ysgol Twm o’r Nant in Denbigh. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The project comprised of a three classroom extension, hall and ancilliary accommodation, as well as a separate extension which provided a new reception and staff areas. The building was designed by Denbighshire’s in-house Design, Construction and Maintenance team and built by Wynne Construction. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The scheme impressed the judges with its creatively-designed form to extend an existing school, coupled with impressive value for money. It was funded jointly by the Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The extension was created to meet the growing demand for Welsh medium education places in the county. The work means that the school now has capacity for 315 pupils, to meet the future growth of the school. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The work also saw two mobile classrooms removed, it has resulted in greater availability of hall space for activities and it has also improved energy efficiency. Effective engagement and consultation with Ysgol Twm o’r Nant and two other schools which share facilities on the site was also critical to the success of the scheme. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Jamie Groves, Denbighshire’s Head of Finance, Assets and Housing, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I would like to congratulate the whole team on their success. It’s a real honour to be recognised for their innovative approach to this project and this award acknowledges the team as being sector-leaders in Wales. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We were up against strong competition from a wide range of projects across Wales and judges considered issues such as sustainability, engagement and consultation, health and safety, innovation, results of the project, its impact and value when making their decision. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“This project clearly ticked these boxes. The result is a fantastic facility for staff and pupils at Twm o’r Nant”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Headteacher Nerys Davies, said: “The last 12 months has presented a real challenge to the school in terms of keeping the school going during the work, but the co-operation by Denbighshire and Wynne’s, the main contractors, has been first class in ensuring that disruption to the school and local residents was kept to an absolute minimum. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The positive reaction of parents and neighbours to the development of the school so far has been wonderful and has shown that some of the difficulties have been worthwhile.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​