Haverhill set to remain the home of Unity Schools Partnership’s head office as current site goes up for sale

An education trust has revealed that it is close to confirming a new home in Haverhill with the current site it occupies in the town having been put on the market.

The Unity Schools Partnership says it is ‘delighted’ at the prospect of being able to stay in Haverhill after the former Parkway Middle School site in Park Road, where its HQ is based, went on the market this month.

In December 2022, Unity revealed how it wanted to sell the site in order to raise funds to pay for much-needed improvements to the facilities at Castle Manor Academy in Haverhill, one of more than 30 schools managed by the trust.

The vast majority of its schools are in Suffolk, including in Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Sudbury and Ipswich, but it also manages two in Romford, Essex and one in Norfolk.

A spokesperson for Unity Schools Partnership said: “We have long identified the need to improve and modernise existing facilities at Castle Manor Academy and the sale of Park Road would allow us to push ahead with these plans.

“We look forward to being in a position to announce the site of our new premises in Haverhill in the near future.

“We are delighted that we are able to stay in the town where the trust started in 2013.”

Unity owns the Park Road site, but had to get permission from the Department for Education to sell it.

As part of that permission, all proceeds of the sale of the land must be reinvested into upgrading school buildings at Castle Manor Academy.

Once the capital is raised from the Park Road sale, an extensive refurbishment and upgrades to the Castle Manor buildings and facilities would be completed.

Unity has previously revealed that this would include a new all-weather sports pitch, for both school and community use.

The Park Road land, which covers 9.9acres and includes 3.460sq metres of single storey buildings, is being marketed by Lambert Smith Hampton, London.

The site is big enough, says the agent, to have about 100 new homes built on it and offers are invited via informal tender by midday on February 1.