Clapham primary school development £1 million over budget?

Schooling is so important, but it’s amazing how much primary school extensions cost these days. The South London Press is reporting that Clapham Manor Primary School (near Clapham High Street) is over it’s £2.5million budget by close to a million smackaroonies for its modern, technicolour extension.The South London Press website is stating that:

The overspend was created because of changes to the project’s design after the contract was signed. Problems began when it emerged the exterior glazing panels could not be produced in the required colours and specifications.

A supplier was later found but changes had to be made to the design for it to go ahead. The council also decided to alter the proposed main flooring in the extension and use an expensive “terrazzo” fake marble finish.

The removal of asbestos discovered when the redevelopment work began and a delay caused when vandals broke in and cut through electrical cables has also seen costs rise.

If you read the rest of their article it’s quite scathing of the project, but it can hardly be blamed for vandalism and unseen but necessary changes to make the building usable. Even so, the extra costs are extremely high compared to the reported initial cost.

Once it’s finished it’s certainly going to look more impressive than the primary school Love Clapham went to!