A NEW Special Educational Needs School (SEND) is to be built in Warrington if councillors give it the green light later tonight.
Plans are being submitted to the Development Management Committee today (Thursday) for the plans on a disused rugby league pitch on council-owned land east of Blackbrook Avenue.
The two hectare site is on the corner of Birchwood Way and Blackbrook Avenue in Padgate and is a five-minute walk from Padgate train station.
It will provide 56 places for SEND education in the borough for students aged seven to 16. There will be approximately 26 members of staff working at the site. The report stated in the current financial year there’s a shortfall of 21 places for SEND in Warrington and by the time the school opens next year it will have increased to a shortfall of 75 places.
The existing lack of provision means there’s “an increased need for out of area placements. These placements tend to be more costly and cause disruption to the lives of students and families,” the planning application report said.
This is a result of the need to travel, challenges to social networks and finding housing and employment following completion of their education, the report said, and the development would reduce this need to travel outside the borough for SEND education.
The two-storey site will include playing fields, soft and hard landscaping, polytunnel, external canopies, access and car parking.
The recommendation is approval subject to conditions delegating authority to the council’s development manager to make non material changes.
Currently, it’s a disused playing field with a right of way running directly to the south of the application site.
It was deemed acceptable with the loss of open space as on balance there’s a need for SEND provision and it is not unacceptable to the visual amenity of the area.
And there will be no damage to trees, impact on the highway nor flooding risk as a result of the build.
But four objections have been received by residents. One pointed out that the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation Centre had been approved for use for SEND education, however the report said this was for a different age group and was for students aged 16 and above and post 19.
The concerns include “loss of community space as the field is used by dog walkers” and “lack of consideration for more suitable sites in the borough.”
Those objections added: “The development will result in a loss of open space.”
There were also concerns about “noise and light pollution from the school” as it is “close to the residential boundary.”
Residents believed the development would result in a “net loss in biodiversity.”
No objections or comments were received by parish councillors or ward councillors or by any WBC partners. Sport England raised an objection over the loss of a playing field, but the report to committee noted that it “was not a statutory consultee” as the development didn’t meet the requirements for consultation.
The building will be set well back from the highway and will be screened by existing tree cover, councillors will be told later.
It is recommended for approval but will be discussed by the committee on Thursday night.