Alongside the Mortlake Stag Brewery development approval, the London Borough of Richmond Planning Committee has approved a new school, the Livingstone Academy.Â
The new 1,200-place academy with a focus on tech, coding and new forms of digital creativity, with access to the River Thames, offers further opportunities for training and development of the borough’s young people, all in keeping with a recognised and acknowledged degree of excellence that the borough’s educational attainment is closely associated with.
The development of the new school moved from its original location in East London in 2018, includes:
- £41m in Government funds for the school
- Access to the river offers the potential for lessons in sculling, kayaking, canoeing, etc.
- Over 9,000 m2 of external play space within the school (excluding indoor Multi Use Games Area) (9,320 m2)
- Community access to external sporting facilities out of hours
- A sustainable transport plan for the school (and wider masterplan) to reduce traffic and congestion
- Substantial sustainability benefits across both applications
- Approximately 60 per cent reduction in carbon emissions against Part L of the Building Regulations
- A UGF (Urban Greening Factor) score of 0.24 sitewide (of which Application ‘A’ is 0.25 and Application ‘B’ 0.22)
- A Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Excellent’ rating
- Economic benefits arising from the provision of a range of new commercial uses, including new commercial Class E office floorspace, which would include an element of affordable workspace, benefits arising from employee spend and local construction jobs
- Transport improvements, including highways works, contributions to bus facilities and the level crossing area and significant provision of cycle parking facilities and good pedestrian routes to encourage sustainable modes of travel
The LBRUT Education Committee has welcomed the new school despite concerns about oversupply and a negative impact on other local schools.
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