Building work at new Bishop’s Stortford High School to be completed by start of November, says leader of Hertfordshire County Council

Building work at the new Bishop’s Stortford High School should be finished by the time students and staff return on November 4 after half term.

The work – delayed due to the collapse of construction giant ISG – should be complete “in another couple of weeks”, Herts county councillors were assured earlier this week.

Staff and students moved in to the new campus in Beaumont Avenue, on the St James’ Park estate, from their old site in London Road in September.

Head Dale Reeve was forced to delay the start of term after ISG failed to hand over the buildings on time. But within days, the contractor, who had yet to complete work on the site, went into administration.

Since then, officials with education authority Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) are said to have stepped in to support the school, where the main focus of ongoing work is around the sports hall.

At a meeting of HCC on Tuesday (October 15), leader of the council Cllr Richard Roberts assured councillors that work should be complete by the beginning of November.

Cllr Graham McAndrew (Bishop’s Stortford Rural) told Cllr Roberts that he was “deeply” concerned about the impact of ISG’s administration.

He pointed to concerns expressed by Mr Reeve and TBSHS governors about ISG’s collapse and the “strain it has placed on the teaching and support staff”.

And he asked the council leader to update members on the current situation.

In response, Cllr Roberts acknowledged that the situation had caused “great anxiety”. But he said this was something the council had addressed by working closely with the school and contractors.

“I am assured that, with almost daily support for the school, the work will be complete by the beginning of November,” he said. “So it should only be another couple of weeks before the work is completed.”

Cllr Roberts took the opportunity to thank those involved in the development, which he said had been a “particularly complex build”.

“If you remember, colleagues, it was the one where first excavations dug into an underground stream/river that hadn’t been found. And that then cost an additional £12m. ISG have compounded the problem with not finishing the project on time.

“But I genuinely think that our property team – really leaning in and keeping us informed of what’s going on – has helped.”

Cllr Roberts assured the council he would be in touch with the school and would make sure in early November that the work had been completed.

TBSHS is one of two Bishop’s Stortford schools affected by ISG’s collapse.

“Avanti Grange is less problematic, although the bridge that connects them to their playing fields needs to go in,” he said. “And there is a programme of work designed for that.”

Following the meeting, Mr Reeve said that he was looking forward to students being able to benefit from the facilities.

“The school relocation has been a great challenge and ISG, as the main contractor, going into administration has certainly made things even more difficult, but we will continue to work closely with officers at HCC to ensure the project is completed as quickly and smoothly as possible,” he said.

“I very much look forward to the remaining works being finished off and for our students to fully benefit from the excellent new facilities.”

A spokesperson for HCC said: “ISG, one of the UK’s largest construction companies, has filed for administration, which is affecting building projects across the country.

“The company were in the final stages of works to complete the new Bishop’s Stortford High School and Avanti Grange School.

“While both schools are open, we understand the impact that some uncompleted works will have on the schools, pupils and local residents.

“We are urgently working with our partners to minimise disruption and ensure works are completed as soon as possible.”