EGGAR’S School is rising to the challenge of Hampshire’s expanding population with ambitious plans that include the construction of a £530,000 state-of-the-art hockey facility and a refectory. It also hopes to complete a £2m teaching block that will house four new classrooms by September 2020.

Headteacher Patrick Sullivan said the school was excited to receive notice of planning permission from East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) for a synthetic turf hockey pitch with associated floodlights and fencing.

He said that the hockey facility would give “greater opportunities and increased participation in sport for the people of Alton” because the school would have “a hub of top-class sports facilities and opportunities in the locality providing an extra space for rugby, football and hockey and will complement the new Sports Centre in Alton.”

Working with consultants Notts Sports Ltd, Eggar’s has undertaken a full feasibility study, which includes design information set against competitive hockey guidelines, for competitive hockey pitches, Mr Sullivan added. 

The astro-pitch pitch can also be used for football, rugby, netball and tennis, at recreational level, he said. 

Eggar’s School has been working in partnership with Alton Hockey Club to expand provision for the sport. Last month the club celebrated raising £50,000, from its Push for a Pitch appeal, to support the building of the pitch at Eggar’s.

The new facility will enable Alton Hockey Club to continue to meet the needs of its burgeoning junior section and provide pitches for adult matches.

The hours of usage for the new pitch will be:

l 07:30 to 21:00 Mondays to Fridays

l 09:00 to 18:00 Saturdays

l 10:00 to 14:00 Sundays

The school has also received many expressions of interest from other schools and organisations keen on using the pitch, among them Alton College, Alton Football Club, Alton Rugby Club, Holybourne Cricket Club, and Alton & District Sports Council.

Mr Sullivan said: “This is intended to facilitate an improvement in children and adults’ physical and mental health by increasing and improving access to facilities for physical activity. We are confident that we will have the balance of funds needed, in the very near future. 

“We would welcome hearing from any interested parties, who would consider investing in our project, or who have a desire to hire. Users of our pitch will also have access to changing and shower facilities all year round.”

In the meantime, work on a new refectory has been progressing.

Mr Sullivan said it had long been on Eggar’s “wishlist” to have a new refectory providing a clean, modern and bespoke environment for the students to enjoy their meals onsite.

“Now the months of planning and fundraising are nearing an end and everyone has been amazed at just how quickly the new building has taken shape this term,” he added. “It has been only a matter of weeks – from clearing an area on site to having the structure in place. The building itself was erected in only 11 days.

“The school was enormously lucky to secure a superb modular refectory, so not only were material costs kept down, its short construction time has limited the disruption to the school day and means it can open its doors to more than 850 hungry students that much quicker.”

The new facility is due to be commissioned early in the New Year.

The expansion will pave the way for an expected increase in pupil numbers as development continues apace in Alton and its surrounding villages.

The county council is also planning an expansion of the school site to cater for the growth in demand for school places.