The Campus
OSG is bringing forward proposals to deliver a new school campus at the site of the former St Gabriel’s Convent & Retreat Centre in Cold Ash, West Berkshire.
The new campus responds to a growing need for a high-quality, modern, campus in the area. Currently, OSG pupils attend a primary and secondary school in the Greater Reading area. However, due to both physical and planning constraints, these schools do not adequately meet the needs of the students and staff.
In response, OSG has identified the site of the former St Gabriel’s convent in Cold Ash as the ideal location to deliver a new combined campus. The site is strategically located to be most accessible to local students.
In delivering the new school campus, OSG will remove the existing buildings and deliver a new, contemporary and sustainable school building with sports facilities and a reconfigured car park area.
The proposals have been designed to be sensitive and appropriate for the site and surroundings, while creating an educational ecosystem that will allow staff and students to thrive.
The new school campus will serve up to 120 pupils and provide both primary and secondary learning facilities as well as a sports hall and external pitches.
Site Context
The site is comprised of a former convent and ancillary residential accommodation, chapel, and retreat centre. It was originally built in the early 20th century, although the chapel was later added in the 1930s.
For several years it served as a private house, before later operating as a private school and catholic school. However subsequently, the site and its buildings were vacated.
Following this, the site has been subject to several historic planning applications. In 2009 an application for the remediation of part of the site and delivery of a new school, St Finian’s Catholic School, was approved.
On the remaining part of the site proposals for the demolition of the buildings and chapel to deliver 11 new houses were approved in 2013. However, these plans never progressed.
Since then, the buildings and site have fallen into further disrepair, with the building ceasing to be used. Left in its current state the buildings will continue to decline, offer no benefit to the local community, and pose a safety risk to anyone who enters them.
The proposals present an opportunity to repurpose the site by removing the derelict convent and delivering an attractive new school campus built to serve students for years to come.
As part of a vision to re-imagine the site for the future, the proposals would also help to alleviate congestion issues experienced during the school run. The existing access routes are not equipped to deal with the volume of traffic during the School’s opening and closing hours.
In response, OSG has worked closely with St Finian’s to develop plans for a new pick-up and drop-off area. This approach will ensure that the local road network is fully equipped to serve both OSG and St Finian’s School.
The Proposals
OSG has worked closely with West Berkshire Council to develop proposals which are appropriate for the site.
Embedding into the village
Simple in its design with a focus on effortlessly integrating with the village landscape, the school has been designed to balance contemporary elements with a focus on sustainability and long-term use.
Brickwork will be used as a durable, practical, and timeless base material to ground the design and define its form. This core structure anchors the design, echoing the visual character and presence established by the site’s heritage.
The first floor is framed by pronounced bookends and set back in a darker tone, creating the impression of a volume nestled within a traditional roofscape.
Expansive window glazing brings a sense of lightness to the design, creating a dynamic connection between the internal learning spaces and the scenic surrounding environment.
The external playground areas have been carefully designed to follow the site’s natural contours and connect to a larger astroturf court via fully accessible pathways and steps.
The proposals will also see a reduction in height and massing than the buildings currently present, improving the site’s relationship with the adjacent North Wessex National Landscape.
Sustainability at its heart
To support ambitions for long-term, sustainable use of the site, the proposals have been designed to target BREEAM ‘Excellent’ – one of the highest accreditation’s given by the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for buildings and organisations. It will be a state-of-the-art highly energy and water efficient building.
The design incorporates a range of sustainable features, including solar panels, air source heat pumps, and a fabric-first approach that exceeds Building Regulations for thermal performance.
The plans have also been developed with an emphasis on protecting and enhancing the presence of trees and vegetation. Alongside the retention of existing trees where possible, the proposal would create a valuable net gain for biodiversity on the site through the planting of new trees, flowers and foliage.
Additional measures such as Sustainable drainage systems, bat boxes, and native planting will enhance biodiversity and environmental resilience.
Meanwhile, charging points, cycle, stands and car sharing initiatives will also be provided to encourage and support the use of electric vehicles and sustainable means of transport.
Highways & Transport
The car park area has been reconfigured to better serve the needs of the new school campus, whilst still making use of the previously developed areas of the site and hardstanding in order to minimise any impact on the surrounding woodland areas nearby.
Overall, 34 car parking spaces, including disabled, will be delivered alongside 10 minibus spaces, which will be supported by a dedicated minibus parking and drop-off area for OSG pupils.
The students will be transported to the school on minibuses which are owned and maintained by OneBus, a non-profit student transport service.
While the car park has been designed with sufficient space to accommodate those accessing the school by car or bus, the hardcourt play area has been designed to double up as overflow car parking for school events, ensuring flexibility without disruption and preventing any overspill onto neighbouring roads.
Alleviating congestion for St Finian’s School
As part of the comprehensive approach to delivering a new school campus which is built for the future, the project team has sought to deliver transportation enhancements for the long-term benefit of our future neighbours at St Finian’s Catholic Primary School.
A new one-way drop-off and pick-up route and designed area will be introduced for St Finian’s, to reduce traffic congestion during peak hours. To support this, the existing school exit route has also been widened to improve traffic flow.
To unlock this improvement and reduce congestion, there is a need to remove the existing chapel on site.
Part of the Community
The proposals present an opportunity to re-imagine the declining site in Cold Ash by delivering a new high-quality school campus that will serve OSG students for years to come.
They will also alleviate the peak transport concerns felt by St Finian’s currently with the introduction of a dedicated drop-off and pick-up area for the long-term benefit of our new neighbours.
Once delivered, the new school campus will share the strong ethos of charitable activity which is championed by OSG and the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.
Driven by care and compassion members of the Church are committed to serving the communities where they live and work, including through extensive charitable and philanthropic activities.
In Berkshire, the Church has an established record supporting the local community. This includes through the Rapid Relief Team, a charity made up of volunteers from the Church, and the Grace Trust, the grant-making charity.
This has included celebrating the important work of social workers in Newbury by serving hot meals to West Berkshire Council staff working with vulnerable children and adults, to donating £1,500 to community support centre, Loose Ends Newbury.
Students at One Schol Global champion this ethos, often organising fundraiser projects for various local organisations as part of their ‘Active Citizenship Project’ which forms part of the curriculum handbook.
Meanwhile, the new campus is expected to create a number of new roles which will be available to local people from all walks of life
