Students and staff at Taunton School will soon be enjoying meals in a light and airy new dining room thanks to a £3.6 million redevelopment of the school’s kitchen and dining facilities.
The project is the single biggest investment in the school’s infrastructure for a generation and will reduce its carbon footprint as well as giving students a calm, relaxing environment to enjoy their meals.
The new dining hall will cater for 1,600 covers and seat up to 450 people at any one time. It will be built using sustainable materials and will use the latest lighting technology and energy-saving devices.
The current dining hall is in the Grade II Listed main school building and dates back to 1870. It will be reconfigured to provide a new Sixth Form Centre and teaching facilities.
Headmaster, Lee Glaser, said: “This project has taken several years of planning and consultation and we are delighted that is now coming to fruition. We are aiming for minimal disruption by completing the majority of the work during the summer holidays and we are looking to deliver an outstanding facility on budget and on time.”
Representatives from the school, architects Wooton Donanghue and C G Fry and Son were present to mark the official start on site.