Plans put forward by Gloucestershire County Council to be considered by Planning Committee on Thursday 14th May.
Proposals submitted by Evans Jones on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council for a new Cheltenham secondary school, located at Farm Lane, Leckhampton, will be considered at a planning committee on Thursday 14 May.
Following initial submission in August 2019 and subsequent further ecological work, the application is now to be considered by a planning committee. If the planning committee agrees the plans, the final approval will then be subject to Secretary of State confirmation.
If approved, the brand new secondary school building, with a new all-weather pitch, sports playing fields and a multi-use games area, could open its doors to new Year 7 pupils in 2022 – and will provide much-needed school places for 900 pupils in Cheltenham aged 11 to 16 years old.
It is planned that the first intake of Year 7 pupils in September 2021 will temporarily be accommodated at Balcarras Secondary School and transfer across from the temporary site to the new site when complete.
The application was submitted following detailed forecasting by Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) on the need for school places, which has shown a continuing need to increase the number of places in Cheltenham primary and secondary schools.
On Wednesday 13 December 2017, Cabinet gave approval to establish a new secondary school in Cheltenham and funding was approved by Council in February 2018. Following a selection process in June 2018, the Regional Schools Commissioner announced the sponsor for the new school as Balcarras School, Cheltenham.
David Jones, Head of Planning at Evans Jones commented:
"We are pleased that following an extensive submission process, the planning will now be considered by planning committee. There is a continuing need to increase the number of secondary school places in Cheltenham and the new school will help to meet this increased demand. We look forward to receiving the planning decision and moving the project through to construction next year."
Cllr Patrick Molyneux, cabinet member responsible for education, said: “This school will be a massive investment into the future of children in Cheltenham, and the surrounding area, and a key part of our £100m investment into schools across the county. We are committed to putting in place real investment to support Gloucestershire’s students and teachers into the future.”
Dominic Burke, Head of Balcarras Trust, said: “Approval of planning permission will be a significant step forward for this project and I look forward to being able to progress with our plans for what will be a fantastic new school for Cheltenham.”
Members of the design team include Evans Jones (Planning Consultants); AHR (Architects); Cotswold Transport Planning and Kier Construction.
If you have any queries or would like more information please contact David Jones of Evans Jones via email: david.jones@evansjones.co.uk