Countryside celebrates school hand over

The new River View Primary School in Lower Broughton has been handed over to Salford City Council.

The school is part of a wider £500m regeneration scheme in the area and Countryside Properties, along with the council, construction contractor Laing O'Rourke, Urban Vision, were joined by Cllr John Merry, leader of Salford City Council, to mark the occasion.

The event praised the milestones made in the redevelopment of the 182-acre site, with 420 capacity school ready for opening in September.

Additional features include a 60-place nursery, a children's centre, a dedicated language centre and a resource space to provide key services, both during and outside school hours.

The school, designed by Urban Vision and constructed by Laing O'Rourke, has achieved a BREEAM rating of 'very good'.

Merry said: "This is the latest part of our New Broughton regeneration scheme to come together. We know from experience that access to good primary school facilities can really kick start a community and this school will do just that. I am delighted to see this development come to fruition."

The occasion also showcased the latest of the 709 mixed-tenure homes at Countryside Properties' New Broughton village and the new community park, which sits at the heart of the regeneration, offering landscaping, footpaths, a children's playground and adult outdoor gym area.

Richard Cherry, deputy chairman of Countryside Properties, added: "New Broughton has come a long way since our early conversations with Salford City Council in 2003. You can build homes, and you can build a school, but it is when you combine these with other elements such as local shops, places to meet and a new park, that you start to create the infrastructure for a sustainable and vibrant community."

Once complete, New Broughton will include around 3,500 affordable and social housing units; the new two-tier primary school; recreational and retail facilities; and the landscaped community park.

The transformation of the Lower Broughton area, situated on the eastern side of Salford, has seen Countryside Properties deliver 709 homes since 2007, 273 of which have been available through the open market, with a further 436 available through social and affordable rent in partnership with Salix Homes, Great Places Housing Group and Contour Homes. An additional 223 homes are to be built between August 2011 and March 2013.