Caretaker's cottage could make way for state-of-the-art school music centre

Tuesday 21 August 2018

A former caretaker's cottage could become a state-of-the-art music centre, featuring a band room and recording studio, if a planning application by Jersey College for Girls is approved.

The school submitted the plans to transform the unoccupied two-storey cottage on Claremont Road yesterday.

The new space, which will also include a recording studio and secure storage facilities for instruments, would be shared with JCG Prep, and provide teaching facilities for the Jersey Music Service and outside agencies, including for the conduction of instrumental and vocal examinations.

Current facilities at JCG and JCP are proving too small to meet the increased demand from students. A design statement put together by David Jones, the school's project co-ordinator and Andrew Harvey Architects explained that music is a flagship department for both JCG and JCP. Following introduction of in-house instrumental tuition programme 'Polyphony' in 2009 and an increased extra curricular programme, the number of students studying music has risen significantly.

"This has, of course, put pressure on our existing facilities which were not designed for the numbers of students that are now involved on a daily basis," the school said.

The JCG band room was designed for 45 students, but the popularity of music bands and orchestras have led to growing number of musicians and the need to increase space by at least 50%. The Senior Concert Band and the Chamber Choir, the larger instrumental and vocal groups now in existence at JCG, both currently count over 60 members. 

Pictured: The music centre would include a band room capable to house the larger instrumental and vocal groups now in existence at JCG. (Andrew Harvey Architects)

JCG also has five practice rooms, described as "moderately sized" with 9.9 sqm each, which are used for instrumental lessons and private practice when they are free free. At least two more would be needed to cope with demand and in the meantime corridors and cupboards have been used according to the planning application.

The Design Statement notes: “The College is keen to promote the independent practicing of instruments during free time, facilitating this on site where possible. The success of any new facility would rely on the availability of private music spaces for self study.”

The office space that is shared by three staff is also too small and the storage it provides for the department's documentation and music scores well below requirements.

At JCP, the large music room used as a base and daily teaching room for the study and activities related to music will soon be replaced by a staffroom. There are no  designated practice rooms and the Learning Support Room, the Art Room and the Main Hall are used instead. This limits the amount of instrumental lessons available, including piano tuitions which, despite demand, cannot be offered at the moment.

Pictured: Claremont Lodge (circled in red) is conveniently sited between JCG and JCP.

Redeveloping the lodge, which is described as conveniently sited between JCG and JCP, would provide both schools with six practice rooms, instrument storage facilities, one staff office and a recording studio. The 145sqm garden space could be transformed into a large band rehearsal room, with enough capacity to cater for the larger instrumental and vocal groups, with an area for teaching and conducting.

The design statement added: "The currently unoccupied Claremont Lodge and garden area, lends itself well to the proposed design brief and would be a cost effective route to providing the require music facilities for the future."

Every area will be designed to promote clear hearing with excellent acoustics, including cubic room volume that results from higher ceilings and ample floor space.

The new design would retain the main two-storey-built footprint of Claremont Lodge, with the whole site used for development right up to the boundaries with JC Prep. The house, which is located within the campus of JCG and JC prep was originally used as a caretaker's lodge but the college no longer provides specific accommodation for an-on site caretaker.

Pictured: Claremont Lodge was originally used as accommodation by the on-site caretaker.

The design statement notes that occupants would present security issues for the schools. "If they are unable to control who occupies the property then they also cannot control the activities on the site which they need to do in such close proximity to the primary school." Redeveloping the site would also remove the vehicular access to Claremont Lodge from Claremont road which has always been a safety issue.

Andrew Harvey Architects argued that approving the application would bring a "benefit to the community as a whole... both in terms of providing additional educational space and also providing a facility that will be shared by others."

"This will allow for out of school activities and used by both the JCG properties and Victoria College. This is a big investment in children's education which will be funded by the colleges and not the taxpayer.

"The proposal will allow both schools to improve their current music facilities and provide much needed teaching and practice areas however there will be no increase in students or teachers at either school as a result of this proposal. The areas released by the creation of this new music centre will allow the prep school to form a new staff room and in the main the space will be released for other teaching disciplines. This new building does allow the two schools to bring all of their resources under one roof."

 The application is part of JCG's five-year development plan which includes the development of fields 800 and 801, a pedestrian bridge to provide safe link between JCG and JCP, a two-storey block to accommodate science laboratories, a new canteen and a main reception area.