Green light for 1,300-place Blackpool academy

Plans have been approved for Blackpool’s 1,300-place Armfield Academy, with Conlon Construction lined up as main contractor.

Fylde Coast Academy Trust has been given the go-ahead to start on the school, which will provide 1,280 places for children aged between two and 16 years old.

It will be built on the site of the former Arnold School off Arnold Avenue and Lytham Road.

Conlon is due to start on the project in the coming weeks with completion in time for the 2018/19 academic year. Works will include a new three-storey teaching block, the refurbishment of the existing sports hall block, and the demolition of some existing buildings.

Playing fields to the rear of the site will also be retained.

The primary school will be housed in the refurbished existing buildings while the secondary school will be in the new-build block.

The professional team also includes Lovelock Mitchell as architect and NJL Consulting as planner.

Wendy Middlemas, project manager for FCAT, said: “The new school has been named after Jimmy Armfield in the hope that it will be a fitting tribute to such a well-known local sportsman, a respected member of the Blackpool community and act as an inspiration to future pupils.

“Through the delivery of the Armfield Academy, FCAT hopes to significantly address the low academic achievement within some areas of Blackpool by ensuring rigorous monitoring and accountability measures, thereby raising academic standards.”