Industry News

New academy in Lancashire to cost £49m

Posted on 25th July 2007

A new academy school in Lancashire is set to exceed initial cost estimates when it is completed, it has been claimed.

The Darwen academy was originally going to cost £34 million to build, but new council documents leaked to the Blackburn Citizen reveal that this figure has now jumped to £49 million.

While the school plans have already been opposed by a number of people in the area, leader of the local council Colin Rigby said: "That's a lot of money but we have also got to look at what we are going to get.

"If it's an expensive school, then so be it."

Schools minister Andrew Adonis recently said that academies continue to be popular among parents and that the latest data showed that there will be three applicants for each school pace in September.

Parents are increasingly choosing to send their children to academies because they "like what they see", he added.