Design & Build
Building an efficient education estate LocatED was launched in 2017 to support the Department for Education (DfE) with the delivery of its free schools programme; buying sites quickly and at best value, proactively managing sites not currently in use, and selling surplus sites. Over the past five years, our work has grown to include the delivery of innovative education-led mixed-use developments, strategic property advice to public bodies and the education sector, and estate efficiency and improvement initiatives for schools and colleges. Through all of this, we support the government in building an efficient, world-class education estate – for communities today and in the future.
eventually used for LSA. We oversaw the redevelopment of this building, working closely with contractors and Architecture Initiative to preserve the heritage façade while undertaking a significant reconfiguration of the industrial interior; stripping back to the internal frame of the building, and forming a new three-storey professional film production studio with supporting facilities such as hair and makeup rooms and professional sound studios, surrounded by teaching and workshop spaces that are truly versatile and flexible. The project was named refurbishment of the year at the Education Estates Awards 2020, recognising the difference it has made to the educational experience.
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Converting buildings for education Houlton School is another example of a non‑educational building being converted for education use. In 2020, we secured a Grade II listed former radio station for this project. The secondary academy is part of the Houlton development in Rugby, which will see Urban & Civic deliver almost 6,000 homes alongside neighbourhood and community facilities. Our in-house technical and planning experts provided crucial early advice on heritage considerations to support the sensitive transformation of this historic building into a modern and inspiring learning environment, delivered by Urban & Civic. The school, which opened in September 2021, E
Houlton School, image credit: James Britain and Urban & Civic
Securing sites for new free schools To date, we have acquired more than 200 sites, creating in excess of 100,000 potential school places for children across England. Our regionally based Acquisitions Team draws on its extensive property experience, local knowledge, and network of commercial contacts to negotiate at pace. We
consider sites that can deliver temporary school buildings as small as a few thousand feet, to permanent buildings upwards of 120,000 sq. ft. We don’t dictate the acreage of sites because we can – and have – delivered free schools over multiple storeys on constrained sites. Since 2017 we have broadened the types of properties which can be used for schools and have been involved with some really creative redevelopments. London Screen Academy (LSA), for example, is a sixth form free school for up to 1,000 students, founded by some of the UK’s most successful film producers. It is now housed in an incredible 85,000 sq. ft. former 1920s radio and television factory in Islington. Despite the site’s potential, it had been vacant for a number of years before it was acquired and w
Written by Lara Newman, chief executive, LocatED
LocatED was launched in 2017 to support the Department for Education with the delivery of its free schools programme by buying sites quickly and at best value. Lara Newman, chief executive of LocatED, shares what the organisation has a achieved and how its work has evolved over the years
