CONSTRUCTION company Stepnell has been chosen to carry out a £2.85m refurbishment and extension project to improve dining facilities at Bromsgrove School.

The scheme will transform the present dining hall to create a contemporary food hall catering for 1,400 students each day at the independent co-education day and boarding school.

Construction work is under way by Stepnell’s Kidderminster team with completion set for August 2015.

As well as a modern food-hall style servery area and new staff dining facilities, the project will create a brand-new kitchen, housed in one of three extensions to the current building. The existing single-storey dining hall will be extended on its north, east and south sides to a design which will provide for school diners and visitors. The single-storey extensions, with facades in brick, glass and stone, will be contemporary in feel but are designed to be fully sympathetic to their historic surroundings. Each extension will have an eco-friendly pitched sedum "green" roof reducing rainwater run-off and minimising the visual impact of the building.

Stepnell’s West Midlands construction director Alan Lyons said: "We’re delighted to be continuing our highly successful working relationship with Bromsgrove School. This is a major project which will create a cutting-edge kitchen and stunning new dining hall facility where students and staff can enjoy eating and socialising in a stylish and comfortable environment.”