With a reputation for academic excellence and enviable extra-curricular programme, Berkhamsted School turned to project managers TGMS and S&C Slatter to deliver an extensive netball and tennis court construction, refurbishment and traffic improvement project at their Kings Road campus.
The project won the SAPCA 2020 Project of the Year Award.
Berkhamsted School, originally founded in 1541, combines both single-sex and co-educational teaching across a family of six independent and preparatory schools in Berkhamsted and Amersham.
Alongside strong academic results, the school places strong emphasis on developing remarkable, adventurous pupils through an envious programme of activities and facilities, including a wide range of sports, both within and outside of the curriculum.
Named as the 3rd Best Independent School in the country by School Sport Magazine, Berkhamsted has a strong reputation for sport. With a wish to further strengthen this position, the school identified a strategic need for more tennis and netball facilities at their Kings Road Campus.
To support this development, it quickly became clear that additional logistical challenges would need to be addressed to resolve existing issues around parking and access on campus. With a lack of parking and difficulty accommodating coaches, the existing roadway and roundabout was causing severe congestion on the Kings Road, negatively impacting the school and local community. With the school playing an active role in community life, a key objective of delivering the new facilities included the redevelopment of traffic management on site.
After a competitive tender process, S&C Slatter were selected to deliver the extensive project works at Berkhamsted. With in-house expertise across design, planning, sports construction and surfacing and civils, our teams were able to work closely with the project managers and the school’s Estate Development Director to develop and deliver the design on site.
Our capability to deliver all works in-house utilising our £3m+ wholly owned and operated plant machinery, ensured that there was minimal risk and disruption during the construction phase, which involved significant site-specific challenges. Our experienced teams created a haulage route to the steep hill on site to provide access for materials, machinery and equipment.
As part of the project works, 10,000 tonnes of surplus material was carefully excavated and removed from site, during term time, a logistical challenge carefully overseen by our dedicated site manager and contracts manager to ensure minimal disruption to the school and local area. Following this extensive excavation work and timber crib retaining wall construction, two brand new tennis and netball courts were constructed towards the top of the site, with additional excavation works to provide an extension to an existing court. Two existing courts were refurbished to fit with the new court designs.
Our dedicated surfacing and civils team carried out the traffic and parking improvement works, including the construction of a new dedicated car park and drop off zones. Road widening works were carried out to improve access and movement for coaches in and out of the site through the existing roadway and roundabout.
The S&C Slatter teams, working closely with the project team and the school, ensured that the project was delivered on time and to budget, despite the significant logistical challenges and term-time working environment.
With the construction of new tennis and netball courts, alongside the extension and refurbishment of existing courts, the Kings Road campus now boasts six exceptional tennis and netball court facilities, complete with specialist fencing and access pathways. To maximise the benefit of the new facility for both the school and local community, the improvements to traffic flow and construction of a new dedicated car park with drop off zones has helped to resolve the existing congestion issues on Kings Road.
Through S&C Slatter’s successful delivery, the project was awarded the SAPCA Project of the Year Award 2020, much to our delight as well as that of the entire project team.
Chris Grimsdale, Estate Development Director at Berkhamsted School, commented:
“I’m delighted with the outcome of this project, which has created additional first-class sporting facilities on-time and to budget in an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly setting…has also solved a major logistical challenge for the school and the local community.”
Dr Richard Earl, Principal Consultant at TGMS, commented:
“It’s fantastic to have received a SAPCA award for this complex but rewarding project, which was delivered efficiently with our construction partners S & C Slatter.”
Our teams had a wonderful time on site delivering the innovative project and realising the school’s objectives. This fantastic new facility will be an asset to both the school and local community and we’re thrilled to support Berkhamsted’s exemplary reputation for sport, which will no doubt continue to grow in the years to come.
S&C Slatter are experts in the design, planning, construction and maintenance of sports facilities and associated infrastructure.
Projects range substantially in size, complexity and application but all continue to embrace and exhibit the same attention to detail and commitment to outstanding personal customer service.
Call 01635 34521 or email info@sandcslatter.com to talk to our experts.
