Multi-million pound complex could improve chances for hundreds of children

An ambitious scheme for a state-of-the-art complex to boost the life chances of hundreds of children in the St Paul's area of Bristol received support in principle from the city council's Cabinet last night.

The £10.5 million scheme would aim to provide a new Cabot Primary School with increased capacity for 420 pupils - plus a Children's Centre to provide care for young children, specialist support for their parents and carers and potentially even a new family doctor's surgery.

The project is envisaged as part of the Dove Lane regeneration programme, being taken forward by a consortium of two leading developers working with local interest groups.

The complex's successful delivery would be subject to community consultation and the commercial viability of the wider Dove Lane scheme and its securing planning permission.

Council officers will now work with the Dove Lane Consortium and the Bristol Local Education Partnership to develop designs and firm up costs.

Current thinking is that the complex could be a four storey building utilising the latest architectural solutions like the ones being successfully delivered in London and other leading European cities.

The design could even include an innovative roof-level play area.

Current estimates suggest that up to £4.5 million of the costs would come from the council's capital programme with the remainder coming from land sales and section 106 planning agreements connected with the wider Dove Lane regeneration scheme.

If planning approvals are secured and supporting commercial development can go ahead, the aim is to complete the project by 2013 at the latest - although every effort will be made to deliver a scheme by 2010.

Cllr Derek Pickup, Executive Member for Children's Services, said: “This is a very exciting, ambitious and innovative proposal and it's got the Cabinet's backing in principle, subject to commercial agreements and planning permissions.

“It won't be an easy scheme to deliver and there are many issues that still need to be resolved, but if we can pull it off we will make a significant difference to the life chances of children in one of our city's most disadvantaged areas.”

He added: "The decision demonstrates our commitment to tackling social and educational disadvantage in a part of our city where many people are from the African and African Caribbean communities.

“That's exactly the kind of thing that the Abolition 200 steering group, whose report was also discussed at the Cabinet meeting, has been urging us to do."