NEXT GENERATION SCHOOL TO KICK-START PROJECT JENNIFER

New images revealing the stunning interior of the first in a new generation of Liverpool schools have been released by the city council.

The artist impressions show how the new Notre Dame Catholic College will look when it is rebuilt at Great Homer Street as part of the wider £150 million Project Jennifer regeneration scheme.

The innovative design boasts a ceiling height of up to 17-metres and will house high quality Performance and Arts facilities helping to secure Notre Dame College as the satellite hub for the Arts in North Liverpool. Mature planting, to create an indoor/outdoor feel, will be a feature of the new school design which will ensure that there is a seamless flow of the surrounding Everton Park through the building and external areas of the school and into the wider Project Jennifer.

When it opens in September 2013, Notre Dame Catholic College will be based at the heart of Project Jennifer. Completion of the school building will be followed by the retail phase of the project, which will include a new Sainsbury’s food store, 80,000 sq ft of shops, dramatically improved public spaces and a new home for Great Homer Street’s popular outdoor market. The new school will also provide a home for a pharmacy, health and wellbeing centre and local indoor market traders.

The school will be built under a structure similar to a modern airport terminal building, which is far cheaper than the traditional method. It offers more flexibility as the internal layout and even the entire use of the site can be changed in the future.

It is one of 12 new schools that will be built under the Secondary School Investment plan. The city council has agreed a City Deal with the Government which will provide funding for new schools and to develop local skills to match the employment opportunities in Liverpool.

Frances Harrison, headteacher at Notre Dame Catholic College, said: “The plans for our new building look absolutely fantastic and, with 82 per cent of our students already living within two miles of Great Homer Street, we’re excited to be part of Project Jennifer.

“The redevelopment is an opportunity for the school to play a huge role at the very heart of the local community, contributing a space that can grow and prosper along with the area.”

Project Jennifer will transform a 45-acre site, creating new homes, employment opportunities, improved public areas, new community and leisure facilities and retail and employment space.

Michelle Taylor, regional director at St. Modwen, said: “The plans for Notre Dame are a real vote of confidence and a sign of the positive impact the regeneration of Great Homer Street is already bringing to the wider area. Project Jennifer is about creating long term positive change in North Liverpool and so I can’t think of a more fitting addition to the scheme than a new school.

“Notre Dame will play an important role in a sustainable community that will benefit from more than 1,000 new jobs, new homes and vastly improved facilities.”

Once completed, the £150 million redevelopment of Liverpool’s Great Homer Street area will be anchored by the largest food store built in Liverpool to date. It also has consent for 80,000 sq ft of additional retail units, 80,000 sq ft of light industrial units, 480 new homes, and 40,000 sq ft of community facilities, including a new library, market and community health centre. The scheme will create a new hub of activity in North Liverpool and will act as a catalyst for the wider redevelopment of that part of the city.

Liverpool City Council Leader Joe Anderson said: “Project Jennifer will serve as a catalyst for further regeneration, investment and opportunities throughout North Liverpool. The relocation of Notre Dame Catholic College, and our proposals to transform Everton Park into a first class community and visitor destination, are a great example of this already starting to happen, and marks the dawn of a new era for the area.”