Ermine Street Church Academy

• £8.5 million primary school project for new town development.
• Landscape to promote a sense of place and identity.
• Extendable design that can grow as the school expands.

Situated on the former site of RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire, Ermine Street Church Academy is a primary school serving the new Alconbury Weald development. Our brief was to create a landscape that allows students to ‘explore, discover, learn’. The added challenge was to evoke a sense of place and identity within a completely new setting.

Working for construction firm Morgan Sindall, we liaised closely with architects AHMM to achieve the £8.5 million vision outlined by the Diocese of Ely and Cambridgeshire County Council. This included new sports pitches, hard surfacing and a nursery area. All aspects of the project were designed to allow easy extension when the school grows rapidly with the new town. Provision was made for construction access and additional play space to minimise disruption from future expansion works.

The successful scheme continues to generate positive feedback from students, staff and parents.