New Broughton, New School, New Opportunities.

As part of the overall regeneration of Lower Broughton, Urban Vision, commissioned by Salford’s Children’s Services and Countryside Properties, have provided a multi-disciplinary design and delivery service that has created the eye-catching River View Primary School and the new park in New Broughton.

River View Primary School and the Park sit side by side, providing a vibrant, educational and green space that not only completely transforms this former run down site but brings much needed facilities into the local community.

River View Primary School is designed by Urban Vision to allow capacity for 420 children plus a 60 place Nursery. The interior and exterior spaces of the school have been created to ensure that children have a rounded learning experience through interlinking both areas.

 The additional features of the design at the site include a Children’s Centre Hub, a dedicated Language Centre and an additional large resource space, which means that the school can provide additional key services, both during and outside school hours that altogether contributes to the development and improvement of the local community.

 Intelligent lighting systems, efficient heating systems, controlled natural ventilation systems and environmentally friendly finishes, have all contributed to the school achieving a BREEAM’ rating of “‘very good” which shows that the school achieves best practice in sustainable building design. Community safety considerations have also been an inherent part of the design process and Greater Manchester Police have been consulted throughout as part of the “Secured By Design” initiative. In addition, Salford’s Crime and Disorder Strategy has been complemented, as the entire facility is protected by a CCTV security system linking back to the Council’s dedicated Monitoring Centre.

One of the challenges our designers faced at the beginning of this project was that the school is located in an area subject to potential flooding from the River Irwell and as part of the wider flood relief management, the park has been designed as a flood relief basin which provides an `overflow ` area to the River Irwell in extreme wet weather conditions. Plainly, the school has to allow for these factors and to address the issue, the building has been raised onto a platform, keeping the school above the high water line. In addition, a dry route has been provided as a potential escape route and leads the children across the Park, in case a flooding incident ever occurs.

The Park is also now in the final stages of completion.  Once finished, the park will offer an array of woodland and ornamental trees with surrounding wildflowers and grassed areas that altogether will enhance the biodiversity of the local environment.  The park will also offer sweeping footpaths, a children’s play ground and adult outdoor Gym area, which can be used on a regular basis by the local community.

River View Primary School was successfully completed on the 21st June 2011. An event to officially hand over the school to Children’s Services will take place on the 23rd of August, ready for fitting out to receive children from Grecian Street and Charlestown Primary Schools in September 2011.