WORK on Bordon’s new 900-place secondary school is due to start this month, following Hampshire County Council’s appointment of Kier as the contractor to build it.

Sited to the north of what will be the new relocated town centre, in Budds Lane, Bordon, the buildings will be the new home for Mill Chase Academy, and are set to cost approximately £30m to construct.

Councillor Peter Edgar, executive member for education at Hampshire County Council, said: “2017 was a year of great progress with the regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon. Organisations - including the county council and East Hampshire District Council, developers, the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership and the Homes and Communities Agency - have been working together to enhance the town and its essential local infrastructure.

“Relocating Mill Chase Academy to new, contemporary facilities, with the capacity to accommodate a growing school community, has been a central part of the regeneration plan, and I look forward to watching it take shape over the next 18 months. It is an exciting development for families and the community of Whitehill and Bordon, as it will ensure that they can access educational facilities in their local area that offer high quality educational, recreational and community amenities.”

Sue Samson, chief executive of the University of Chichester Academy Trust (of which Mill Chase Academy is a part), added: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting initiative which will make a real difference to this developing community, providing a good school with high quality staff and excellent leadership, with state-of-the-art facilities - a winning combination.”

Headteacher Paul Hemmings said: “Our new buildings will add tremendous value to the high quality of education we already provide. I am therefore very excited about the next few years ahead as we work to provide an outstanding education for the young people of Whitehill and Bordon.”

The county council is investing £10m towards the total cost of building the new school facility.

The balance of funding includes contributions from the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company (which is developing the former Prince Philip Barracks site in Budds Lane, including building the new town centre), the Homes and Communities Agency, East Hampshire District Council and the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

As well as the promise of a “broad and diverse range” of teaching and learning spaces, the new school will incorporate improved sports facilities, including a flood-lit, all-weather pitch and six indoor badminton courts. Completion is due in the summer of 2019 to allow Mill Chase Academy to move to its new home in time for the start of the academic year in the autumn.

Mill Chase Academy is recognised by Ofsted as a “good” school with “an ethos of high expectations and aspiration” and “teachers who are passionate about doing the best for their pupils”.

The number of applications to the school is currently growing.

It is to be relocated, from Mill Chase Road, to the new buildings from its existing site on the eastern edge of the town, where it is currently located in buildings which, due to their age, design and layout, are beginning to deteriorate. Most will see demolition, with the area redeveloped.

The Kier Group is located in Bedfordshire.