Green light for redevelopment of old school site

The school in Rugeley, Staffordshire, was demolished after it closed in 2011

A former school site is to be transformed into a housing estate.

Developers Lovell will build 58 homes on the old Aelfgar School site in Rugeley, Staffordshire, after plans were approved by Cannock Chase Council.

The development will see the land off Church Street turned into a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom homes.

The school was demolished after it closed in 2011. The district council bought the site from Staffordshire County Council ten years later.

Concerns had previously been raised about the loss of trees on the land as well as the potential impact on wildlife.

Members of the council’s planning control committee were told at Wednesday’s meeting that 19 trees would be retained, including an oak tree that one resident said had been standing “for years”.

They were also told that many of the trees set to be removed were “poor quality” and had a life expectancy of less than 10 years.

Half of the homes would be retained by Cannock Chase Council as housing stock, which Councillor Sue Thornley said would help to get 29 families off the authority’s waiting list.

Rugeley councillor Mike Sutherland said: “This is a brilliant use of a piece of land that brings much-needed social housing into the area.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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