Three Telford & Wrekin school developments get planning approval
The next phase of Telford & Wrekin Council’s vision to transform the borough’s educational estate has been given the green light – following three applications being approved by councillors.
The major application will see a new 900 place Sports and Learning Community being built in Dawley to replace the existing Phoenix School on a new site.
The council’s Plans Board also gave the all clear to the building of four new classrooms and a multi purpose hall as well as the temporary erection of a demountable classroom unit at Newport Girls High.
Plans for improvements at the Mount Gilbert School in Dawley were also approved and these will include the building of a skills centre and raised terraces to provide a secure play area and external dining facilities.
Wednesday night’s Plans Board meeting approved the detailed planning consent for the new Sports and Learning Community subject to conditions, following the earlier granting of outline planning permission.
The proposals form part of the Building Schools for the Future programme and will comprise a new build school accommodating a total of 900 students and 100 full time staff. The buildings will also include health services, a fitness centre and extended sports facilities which will be funded by Sport England.
The sports facilities will include an extra large sports hall with 495 retractable seats for competition games, a floodlit, artificial surface rugby pitch, athletics track and facilities, three football pitches, a cricket pitch, six tennis courts and a BMX track.
The proposed development at Newport Girls High will see permanent classrooms replacing a number of demountable buildings that are currently on the site.
The multi-purpose hall will be used for whole school assemblies and also general sporting activities.
At Mount Gilbert, the new skills centre will allow the school to incorporate into the curriculum BTEC qualifications and similar vocational experiences – for example training the pupils in car maintenance work.
The three raised terraces will include one that will open to provide a protective and secure dedicated space for outdoor learning and play for the most emotionally challenged pupils and two that will connect back to the existing school hall to provide external dining facilities.
Councillor Paul Watling, cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families, said: “The granting of detailed planning permission for all three schemes is fantastic news and means we can now progress with the next phase of our Building Schools for the Future programme.
“There will be more exciting news in the coming months about how we plan to develop other school sites in the borough and the future looks very bright for education in Telford and Wrekin.”
