Exciting Development Plans for The Dixie Grammar School Announced
The Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth has announced ambition plans for the redevelopment of its campus at the centre of the historic village. The School has launched an Architectural Competition for this and it has selected four architectural practices, all of whom have experience in the design of school building and working with listed buildings, to enter the competition.
The competition will involve the creation of a master plan for the redevelopment of the school campus. The key focus will be for a new multi-purpose hall and science block - this initial phase will also include the building of a new car park for the use of both the School and the local community, including the Doctors' Surgery. This will enable the School to remove all cars from the school yard, thus improving immeasurably the area available for students' recreation and also making their play area much safer. The car park will also help to alleviate some of the parking problems in the village providing much needed additional spaces.
The aim of the redevelopment is to provide a school campus fit for the 21st century and one which will enhance the centre of Market Bosworth, complementing the Grade 2 listed 1828 main school building with high quality replacements for the other buildings currently on the site. The existing school hall is already used extensively by local groups and the new hall will enhance the facilities available to the village as a whole.
The architectural practices are as excited as the School is about this project as there are very few opportunities to be involved in the redevelopment of such a sensitive site which involves a listed building, which is itself within a conservation area right in the centre of an historic and beautiful village. The School expects the competition submissions to be made early 2012 and there will then be a public exhibition, so that members of the local community can express their views of the proposal. The final decision on which design to choose will then be made by a judging panel. The composition of this panel has not yet been confirmed, but it will include governors and representatives from the wider community.
In 2012 The Dixie Grammar School will be celebrating 25 years since it was re-founded in 1987. Mr Wood commented: "The launch of the architectural competition marks a very exciting phase in the ongoing development of The Dixie Grammar School and it makes an appropriate start to our 25th anniversary year. Having considered a number of options for the future development of the School, including moving away to a new site, I am delighted that we have been able to confirm our commitment to Market Bosworth. This project will take a number of years to complete, but I hope that both the School and the wider community will soon be able to benefit from the first phase of the development."