CA2/319/2

Dunstable: College of Further Education Phase II (P439). E/D23/P2 File of papers

Nov 1965 - Dec 1966

From: 1965 To: 1966

includes: Letter from the College regarding enquiry from electrical contractors on position of the control panel in the Electrical Installation workshop (with small sketch) and position of electrical points for clocks in all workshops; with sketch of layout for 'General Engineering Laboratory' showing preferred position for clock; 2 November 1965 Letter from T S Lucking, Director of Education, to County Architect, regarding changes to the kitchen and dining accommodation; 1 November 1965 List of furniture requirements submitted by the College Principal; 17 November 1965 Built in furniture and fittings cost summary; total £16,627 (new buildings only); 19 November 1965 Drawing No 15 - Final Plan Phase II (2 copies) - showing layout plans of 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors with actual area of existing rooms; scale 1/16"; October 1965 (one copy stamped 'approved' 26 November and 17 December 1965) Drawing No 16 - Final Elevations - Phase II (2 copies) - mentions fascias and underoll panels are 'faced asbestos shiplap'; scale 1/16" to 1'; 5 November 1965 (one copy stamped 'approved' 26 November and 17 December 1965) Drawing T1 (3) Drainage & Site Plan - Phase II (2 copies); with location of manholes; also shows extent of Phase III; scale 1" to 16'; July 1965 (one copy stamped 'approved' 26 November and 17 December 1965) Drawing No 14 - Final Plan Phase II (2 copies) - showing layout plans of ground floor with actual area of existing rooms and extent of Phase III; scale 1/16"; October 1965 (one copy stamped 'approved' 26 November and 17 December 1965) Letter from College Principal (7 pages) regarding Furniture and Equipment for Phase II; 1/2 November 1965 Letter from Director of Education saying plans meet with general approval; also mentions 'it is the intention to transfer the laboratory from West Street annexe to the main building in Phase II'; 19 November 1965 Form SB16 (Final Plan Stage) gives final estimate of £233,750, with intended start date of March 1966; includes £16,700 for fitted furniture (which will be met by the Furniture Loan) i.e. building & site works 224,390 Consultant's fees 6,000 Clerk of Works wages 3,000 Lithography 150 Bond 210 24 November 1965 Design for Governors' table (wedge shaped); maximum seating for 26; December 1965 Drawing showing floor layouts, elevations and sections 'Proposed detached (police crossed out) house, type A.D. with left hand garage (Caretakers House); scale 1/8" to 1'; April 1965 Letter from Principal mentions lack of cloakroom facilities and 'we are at the moment, unfortunately experiencing a number of petty thefts, presumably students from students' and 'the need for alcoves in all classrooms for the hanging up of hats and coats and the disposal of hand luggage beneath'; 14 December 1965 Letter from Principal Planning Officer to County Architect regarding Mr Carrington, Borough Engineer and Surveyor, who complains that car parking facilities are insufficient 'I note that only 64 parking spaces are to be provided and, in my opinion, this is quite inadequate for the proposed buildings, and would suggest that the number should be at least doubled. The Assembly Hall will seat upwards of 300 and this alone would require 75 spaces'; 16 December 1965 Reply states 'The Department of Education and Science (DES) allow provision of 60 car spaces for 1,000 Maximum Student Capacity (MSC). The extensions designed at present give an MSC of 775 to which one must add 50 staff. It will be seen, therefore, that the parking provision is within the DES regulations. If cost allows, I would hope to be able to improve on this, and certainly when future extensions are built, additional car parks will be provided' 22 December 1965 'Danger risks in Chemistry laboratory' 12 points raised and another 3 regarding preparation room (presumably compiled from College Staff); 10 January 1966 Reply to security concerns (4 points raised, i.e. guard dogs, keeping certain lights on at night, possibility of having a flat in the new extension, and burglar alarm) concludes with 'once the caretaker is housed in the vicinity, an opportunity for close surveillance will be possible, together with regular observation by the local Police, this may deter any would be intruders'; 14 January 1966 Letter from DES approving final plans but subject to points raised within. Concludes with 'The starting of work on this project will have to be deferred in accordance with paragraph 2 of Circular No 12/65. It will therefore not be possible for the Departments to give final approval at the present time or to recommend the issue if loan sanction. The Authority will be informed as soon as it is possible to give final approval, meanwhile they may wish to take any further steps which may be necessary to ensure that they will be able to go to tender without delay as soon as it is possible to authorise the commencement of work'; 14 January 1966 Various correspondence regarding layout of rooms, practicalities, etc., Further letter from Borough Engineer and Surveyor regarding lack of car parking: 22 February 1966 List of existing furniture and fittings (11 pages) 11 March 1966 Notes from meeting at County Architect's Office mentions 'As the Contract approval has been delayed ...we should now include Phase 2B when preparing our tender drawings. The specifications will still be left in abeyance until the contract period is known'; 15 March 1966 Letters from Pearce & Barker Ltd, 71-73 Leagrave Road, Luton, and A Roberts & Company, 79 Eccleston Square, Victoria, enquiring if they might submit a tender; 5 April 1966; with replies to both that 'it will not be possible to invite you to tender for the extensions to Dunstable College of Further Education as this project will be the subject of a negotiated tender'; 14 April 1966; same reply to A Roberts & Company 15 June 1966 Letter from DES approving work as planned, mentions 'the Minstry of Housing and Local Government has been recommended to issue formal consent to the borrowing of £233,750 for a period of 35 years'; 12 April 1966; with copy of form from MHLG confirming such; 20 April 1966 Letter from Robert Marriott Limited, Midland Works, Rushden, asking to be included on the tender lists for this project and a new Junior School in Kempston; 19 April 1966; reply as per Pearce & Barker etc., above for Dunstable College extensions; 4 May 1966 Notes from meeting 28 April 1966 (2 copies) between Donald Smith, Seymour & Rooley and County Architects Department gives schedule of works: commencement completion a) Main Workshop Block and Boiler House Beginning of July 1966 May 1967 b) Alteration to Existing Workshop Block July 1967 Mid-September 1967 c) Administration and Communal Blocks September 1966 December 1967 d) Four-Storey Block Extension April 1967 April 1968 e) Alteration to existing Four-Storey Block on completion of Four-Storey Block April 1968 September 1967 with note that a) and b) were definite dates but the rest proposed dates to be confirmed later; 13 May 1966 Notes (3 pages) from meeting 6 May 1966 between Donald Smith, Seymour & Rooley, College Staff and County Architects Department regarding Mechanical Services for both the new Mechanical Engineering Workshop and the existing Workshop; 19 May 1966 Reply as per Pearce & Barker etc., above, to The Tilbury Construction Company Ltd, Ruscombe Works, Twyford; 16 May 1966 Drawing T6 Site/Drainage plan; similar to T1 (3) above; scale 16' to 1"; July 1965/March 1966; with T7 schedule of foul water drainage manholes; March 1966 Letter from Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Dunstable, regarding drainage 'the changes of direction in the drains at manholes 17 and 24 should take place within the manhole, particularly since these drains are within the building'; 2 June 1966 Reply from County Architect 'I will revise the drainage runs and manhole sizes to accommodate the changes of direction within these manholes'; 13 June 1966 Letter to Commercial Union Assurance, Bedford, mentions building contract awarded to J M Hill & Sons (Ampthill) Ltd, Church Street, with estimated cost now at £200,000, and asking them to provide Surety for 10% of the Contract sum; 14 June 1966 Letter regarding contractors contacted to submit tenders for Mechanical Services: C S Thompson (Letchworth) Ltd; Kershaw Heating Ltd, Cambridge; Matthew Hall Ltd, London; Arthur Scull & Son Ltd, London; and G N Haden & Son Ltd, London; 16 July 1966 Memo from Director of Education complains about workers from Vauxhall Motors accessing College site, playing football 'on our pitches' and walking through the middle of the College Campus; 'The very least that needs doing is further reinforcement or extension of the flextella fencing along the railway line so as to prevent Vauxhall workers gaining access to our land from that direction. Further, it is quite obvious that workmen who have walked right across our Campus to the flextella fencing and then find it repaired and/or blocked are not going to retrace their steps back to the road and walk all the way round Kingsway and Church Street to get to the Vauxhall premises by the Boscombe Road entrances. What they will do is to climb over the fence in the first instance and bring wire clippers with them for future use. Hence unless something is done to prevent their intrusion along our frontage nothing will prevent their making their way through the wire at the back of our premises'; 18 July 1966 Letter from Principal Planning Officer again complains about the lack of car parking, being the only outstanding objection regarding planning issues; 'I have now heard from the Borough Surveyor of Dunstable that his Planning Committee is of the opinion that the minimum of 200 car parking spaces should be provided in this development'; 19 July 1966 Reply 'This project is now at an advanced stage and I hope that construction work will commence on the ground in the next two months. I am negotiating for additional land adjacent to the present site which I have provisionally reserved as car parking space. If money is available from the contract, I will do all I can to improve the parking provision'; 21 July 1966 Letter from P H Bidgood, Department of Education and Science; 'The Secretary of State regrets that, in view of the number of projects of greater priority for which a place has had to be found, and of the total capital investment resources available for starting projects in that year, he has been unable to include the Authority's proposals in a programme on this occasion. He will however give careful consideration to the inclusion of an instalment of Phase III of the Dunstable College of F.E. in the next building programme, in the light of the progress made in the building of Phase II and of the resources available for that programme'; 28 July 1966 Letter to Commercial Union Assurance, Bedford, mentions a tender amounting to £226,633..7s has been negotiated wilth J M Hill & Sons (Ampthill) Ltd, Church Street, and asking them to provide Surety Bond for 10% of the Contract sum; 19 September 1966 Letter from County Planning Officer 'Since the Dunstable Corporation are still grumbling about their public car parks being used by County Council students, and since this student car population is almost certain to grow more and more over the years particularly when the new extension is built, I hope that the Ministry of Education will be persuaded to allocate sufficient grant for all cars generated by this College to be parked within the College premises'; refers to information given by the College that students had been using the Civic Centre car park requiring about 50 spaces per day during term time; 20 September 1966 Letter from the Clerk of the County Council regarding building contract awarded to J M Hill mentions that the cost of an electricity sub-station amounts to £1,200; also that they hope to purchase a Caretakers' House in the near vicinity of the College (the cost of which is not included in the tender), but if it should prove necessary to build a house at some future date, approval to this expenditure would be sought at that time; 28 September 1966 Mr C T Jones, Orchard House, Flitton, appointed Clerk of Works; 5 October 1966 J M Hill & Sons nominated Westminster Bank to provide Surety in place of Commercial Union Assurance; 28 October 1966 Minutes (8 pages) from meeting in College Principal's Room, 29 September 1966, to finalise details concerning drawings of the layout of furniture and fittings; 13 October 1966 Letter from DES accepting tender from J M Hill & Sons, but also mentions 'He (Secretary of State) regrets that he is unable to make an additional allocation in order to provide increased car parking provision for the college'; 19 October 1966 Letter from Director of Education regarding modifications requested and his own comments on the new Biology Laboratory; 24 November 1966 Letter from Director of Education to the College Principal with comments on points made regarding Phase II layout: Issues concerning Administration and Main Teaching Blocks; College Hall; Kitchen; Workshops; and provision for Physical Education; 9 December 1966 Letter from J M Hill & Sons with minutes of site meeting 10 October 1966 states 'the contract commencement date was agreed as 3 October 1966' and gives list of sub-contractors and suppliers: Those confirmed were: Electrical - Modern Electrical Company Mechanical - Heydons [?G N Haden & Sons Ltd] Ironmongery - Randalls (bulk quote) Flooring - Granwood with Flush Doors, Furniture, Windows and Curtain walling still to be confirmed; mentions J M Hill are resposible for windows and curtain walling in the Workshop Block; 13 October 1966

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file

Lucking, T.S.,
Donald Smith, Seymour & Rooley,
J M Hill & Sons (Ampthill) Ltd

DUNSTABLE, Dunstable College, further education, site layout plans, elevations, technical plans, asbestos, building sections