The 34-year-old Lyneham campus of Brindabella Christian College is set for a $15 million makeover.
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The school has made a development application to build a two-storey junior school building with an additional 15 classrooms. The plans also extend to a new school hall, reception area and performing arts space.
The burgeoning low-fee Christian school, which established a second campus in Charnwood three years ago, is bursting at the seams.
Principal Bruce Handley agreed this year to a huge expansion in student numbers to cater for demand.
In February, 131 new students arrived at the college – almost half the entire new student intake of 276 for independent schools across the city, according to the ACT Education Directorate's annual school census. Since then, another 23 have arrived.
Mr Handley said the school had installed six demountable classrooms but was keen to begin a permanent and more aesthetically pleasing solution.
The senior school underwent a major refurbishment under Labor's Building the Education Revolution program, but the junior school is in need of an upgrade.
In the meantime, the school has closed enrolments across kindergarten and years 2, 7 and 9 due to capacity classes.
"It is a good problem to have," Mr Handley said.
A tender was under way for a builder and, assuming the DA was approved, Mr Handley hoped work would start on the first of four stages in October.
Stage four would be completed by the end of 2018. The $15 million cost would be funded through various means, including school savings of about $8.5 million combined with Commonwealth grants of $1.52 million and a bank loan for the remainder.
The DA calls for three trees to be removed, but Mr Handley said the school planned on extensive planting of about 30 replacement trees once work was complete.
"Our [parents and friends] are very excited, as are the students," he said. "We understand there will be some disruption while building works are undertaken, but we will try to minimise it as much as possible."
He said plans to upgrade the car park would come as a welcome relief for nearby residents, as "it will cut down on all the dust that floats up when it is in use".
