Plans to redevelop secondary school approved

Existing buildings are to be replaced under a redevelopment programme at Cardinal Newman Catholic School

Plans to demolish and replace buildings at a secondary school in Coventry have been approved by councillors.

The revamped Cardinal Newman Catholic School and Community College will include a new two-storey teaching block, sports hall and sixth form centre, as well as additional sports facilities.

On the school's website, a spokesperson added the site on Sandpits Lane would "remain operational throughout construction".

The application for the redevelopment was granted with conditions by Coventry City Council on Friday.

The new buildings include a new sports hall, sixth form centre and a courtyard

The current site is designed for 1,361 pupils aged 11 to 18 years old, alongside 208 sixth form students.

Under the school's rebuilding programme, a courtyard would also be created, as well as new playing fields and sports pitches.

Existing school buildings, with the exception of the caretaker’s cottages and the recently built dining hall, are set to be replaced under the scheme.

Following building surveys and assessments, the school said a new building was the "best long-term solution" as it would be "uneconomical" to rectify issues at the existing site.

The new campus also been designed to consider climate change and the wider environment, with the inclusion of heat pumps, photovoltaic panels and LED lighting proposed under the plans.