en.Wedoany.com Reported - UK-based Bowmer + Kirkland has been commissioned to build a new 137,000 sq ft educational space at Cockermouth School, replacing several old buildings on Castlegate Drive. The Cumberland Council Planning Committee is scheduled to hold a special meeting on Friday, June 19 to consider the proposal, with planning officers recommending approval.
The Department for Education is the client for the project and has selected contractor B+K as the partner. DPP serves as the planning consultant, with Bond Bryan responsible for architectural design. The professional collaboration team also includes Hexa, Anderson Green, One Environments, Arup, Ramboll, Innovare, OFR, and 2P.
The existing school buildings will continue to operate during the construction of the new complex. As teaching will need to be concentrated on the western side of the site during construction, some temporary teaching modules will be added for a period of two years. Once the new buildings are completed, the final phase of the project will involve constructing multi-use sports courts and parking lots on the original building plots.
The new project comprises three main components: the main teaching block, a sports hall, and rotating the existing all-weather pitch to the north side of the new building. Bond Bryan's design & access statement notes that Cockermouth School is a secondary school and sixth form, located on a large sloping site northeast of Cockermouth. The school currently uses seven buildings constructed in different eras, facing significant challenges in functionality, accessibility, energy efficiency, and overall alignment with modern educational needs. The new building will replace these old structures, accommodating 1,440 students and 135 full-time teaching staff. The site currently has extensive sports facilities, some of which will be retained and others rebuilt.
Planning committee members will conduct a site visit before the meeting. In the project summary report, officials commented that the project is a major undertaking that will provide a more cohesive educational facility built to modern standards, bringing significant benefits to the community by enhancing educational provision and community amenities in Cockermouth, while minimizing disruption to existing student teaching. Project-related documents can be viewed through the Allerdale section of Cumberland's planning portal, under reference number FUL/2026/0037.
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