Oasis Academy Silvertown, currently situated in temporary accommodation on Rymill Street, London has been granted permission to build a brand new permanent base in the borough.
A new secondary school in the heart of West Silvertown was given the green light on the 18th June by the Newham Strategic Development Committee.
Oasis Academy Silvertown, currently situated in temporary accommodation on Rymill Street, London and an Ofsted graded ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ features school has been granted permission to build a brand new permanent base in the borough.
Situated at the heart of an emerging community in West Silvertown, the new build will provide a co-educational, all-inclusive secondary school for 600 students aged 11-16. Arranged as a multi-storey ‘superblock’ on the former fire station site, the building design incorporates outdoor social space at different levels and a full-sized sports pitch on its roof.
Johanna Thompson, Principal of Oasis Academy Silvertown, commented on her excitement of planning being approved, saying; “We are delighted that the planning permission for our permanent building on the site of the old Fire Station at West Silvertown was unanimously approved. We are very much looking forward to the enhanced facilities our permanent building will offer our students and the local community, including excellent sports, music and arts facilities.”
“This is excellent news for the whole academy community, and we look forward to having some of our students have the opportunity to visit the site to see the work commencing in the very near future.”
The brand new Academy would continue to primarily serve the residents from Britannia Village, West Silvertown and Royal Wharf/Pontoon Dock community, as well as the wider North Woolwich, Canning Town and Beckton areas.
The planned warm white brickwork and large openings of the new Academy relate to the existing and new residential properties and to the monumental listed Silo D nearby. The thick external walls are folded to provide a layered façade in response to the elements.
Design Review Panel at the London Borough of Newham added; “This is an exceptional and exemplar piece of architecture that has the potential to transform a very constrained site into a humane and nurturing new school environment.”
A double-height colonnade to the North Woolwich Road acts as a visitor entrance and engenders a civic quality to the building, whilst the colourful lightweight infill at ground level allows for generous pedestrian movement and a deep threshold between the public domain and secure school environment.
Oasis Community Learning currently have nine primary and secondary Academies within the London area.
Adam Browne, Regional Director for North London and Kent at Oasis Community Learning, commented on the planning approval, saying; “This is an exciting milestone for Oasis Academy Silvertown, the new building will provide amazing facilities for 600 students and provide exceptional education at the heart of the community.”