Hertfordshire’s first net-zero carbon school approved by councillors

The County Council agreed to planning permission for a 300-pupil net-zero carbon primary school in Buntingford. The nursery and school will be built with solar panels and triple-glazed windows.

Rob Egan, the planning officer, said that there was a compelling need for this school. The 2-story building will be constructed on part of the Sainsbury’s depot site, and it will provide the extra school places necessary for children that live in the hundreds of new homes built in the town, as the existent schools in Buntingford were already full.

Since 2011, around 1,500 properties have been built in Buntingford, said the conservative councillor, Jeff Jones. He added he was “really pleased this much-needed facility” would meet the demand for school places.

The school will include a rooftop outdoor classroom, play areas, and a “forest school”. Also, air-source heat pumps will heat the whole building and the water.

To avoid the classrooms from over-heating, all the teaching places in the school will face north, while the social spaces will face south.

Aiming to open for September 2022, there will also be conservation measures integrated to avoid water waste.