County Council gives go ahead for North Leamington School
Warwickshire County Council’s Regulatory Committee has given the go ahead for plans for the new North Leamington School. The planning application for the Community School and Arts College will now be sent to the Government Office of the West Midlands for final approval.
The exciting landmark campus, which has been designed to blend into its rural context, will accommodate 1,500 pupils and bring together all the students who currently use four separate sites across Leamington.
Mark Gore, Head of Education, Partnerships and School Development for Warwickshire County Council, welcomed the news. He said: “This is a major step forward for education in Leamington. The committee recognises the benefits that the school will bring to young people and the wider local community. The committee has expressed some concerns about traffic and access and we have listened carefully to those concerns, including those of local people, and we have revised our plans to address them fully.”
The design incorporates three faculty blocks on the new campus, which will be home to Humanities & Languages, Maths & Science and Art, Design & Technology. The main building, described as the hub, will host the Sixth Form, the Community Learning Centre and all the Performing Arts facilities for Dance, Drama and Music, including a 400-seat theatre.
The proposed designs for the new buildings, prepared by Robotham Architecture of Warwick, have been very well received and achieve the highest environmental standards. There will be cedar boards on the external walls and a ‘green roof’, planted with an alpine plant called sedum; rainwater will be stored for non-drinking use, and natural ventilation (not air-conditioning) will be used throughout.
The plans include extensive sports facilities including a large Sports Hall complex, an all-weather pitch and a multi-use games area. All these facilities will be available as part of the schools extended hours programme for use by the community.
Following planning consultation, Warwickshire County Council has worked closely with the school and the wider community to address parking and access around the site, and the proximity and visual impact of sports areas to adjacent housing. The authority was happy to respond to these concerns and revised their plans accordingly.
The all-weather sports pitch and the multi-use games area have been positioned further away from adjacent housing and a tree avenue has been created to screen the games area from residential views and enhance the setting for the Safer Route to School.
Although pupils will be encouraged to use the Safer Routes to School routeway and there will be less emphasis on car transport, the masterplan drawing has been adapted to provide one road in and one road out and a one-way circulatory traffic route through the car park.
The plans for the £26 million development on the current site of Manor Hall in Sandy Lane have been prepared through Miller Construction, Warwickshire County Council’s Framework Contractor. Whilst the Government Office for the West Midlands has yet to give a final decision to proceed, it is intended that the new school will be completed during the academic year 2008/2009. The Government Office decision is expected in May.