Blackpool school’s new £1.2m sports hall opens for use following completion

A new sports and performing arts hall at a Blackpool school catering for children with additional needs has opened following a year-long construction project.

Park Community Academy, based on Whitegate Drive, is part of the Sea View Trust and caters for 2–19-year-old pupils with a variety of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

 The new facility has been designed by architectural, planning and building surveying practice Cassidy + Ashton to host a range of sports and physical activities in addition to school performances.

 The 340 sq m development also includes a new school entrance, reconfigured outdoor playground and improved access facilities.

 Gill Hughes, headteacher, Park Community Academy, said: “Cassidy + Ashton has worked collaboratively with us to ensure this new development will operate as a multi-use space.

 “Alongside being a fantastic sports hall which can be accessed by the school and wider community, the design considered the acoustics and also integrated technology to enable this to become a space where we can showcase the work of our performing arts department to a range of audiences.

 “In addition, we can once again meet together as a whole school, something which has been impossible over recent years as the school has grown.”

 Stuart Johnson, PE co-ordinator, Park Community Academy added: “The opening of the new sports hall will enable us to deliver a wider range of activities and introduce new sports which up to now we have not had the facilities to offer in the PE curriculum, such as Pickleball and Kin-ball. We know these activities will support the physical development of our pupils and their love for physical activity.”

 Cassidy + Ashton was originally commissioned by the Sea View Trust in 2023 to conduct a feasibility study into the most efficient and affordable way to upgrade the school’s facilities to better cater for SEND pupils as well as the school’s increasing capacity.

 The study concluded the best option would be the construction of a new sports hall and Cassidy + Ashton then led the design and subsequent planning submission for the new facility, which was approved in October 2023.

 The practice also led a tender process which appointed Parkinson Builders as construction partner and work began in March 2024.

 Alistair Baines, chairman, Cassidy + Ashton said: “The versatility of the facility as both a sports and performing arts space meant it needed to be designed with the robustness to withstand decades of physical activity as well as having acoustic features which benefit live performances.

 “There are a range of features in the building such as plug sockets at a higher level and recessed door handles which support this hybrid facility. The sports hall is also highly sustainable and includes state-of-the-art heat pump technology as well as solar PV technology on the roof.”

 Chris Leaver, director, Parkinson Builders, said: “It’s been hugely rewarding to have completed this contract to build a state-of-the-art sports hall for such amazing young students, who have followed the build progress closely.

 “Now it is complete, we are excited to see its positive impact on the students and the wider community and we are confident it will serve as a valuable asset for many years to come.”