City school's major refurbishment plans approved

Plans to build a new 630-place primary school at The Royal School in Penn Road has been approved

Plans for major refurbishments at a Wolverhampton school, which include a new primary school and sports hall, have been given the go-ahead.

The City of Wolverhampton Council approved the planning application submitted by The Royal School for a new 630-space primary school at its site in Penn Road.

Proposals include a two-storey extension to the main Grade II-listed school building, a new sports hall, 104-space car park, a bigger design technology block and refurbished dormitories.

The Royal School scrapped its £29,000-a-year fees in 2015, becoming one of then Prime Minister David Cameron's "free" state schools.

The decision saw pupil numbers increase from around 530 to nearly 1,200.

Under the new plans, football pitches, an all-weather cricket square and an athletics track would all be built on the former St Luke's Primary School site on the opposite side of Penn Road.

An old plant room on the secondary school site would be demolished for new stairs, as part of work to improve the building's layout and the secondary school would be refurbished and reordered with its dormitories for boarders also revamped.

The application said the existing 630-space primary school was "no longer an optimal learning experience" and needed replacing.

A statement added: "The new playing field area proposed within the St Luke's site will be delivered in the first phase, as required by Sport England, prior to the building of the new primary school."

'No adverse impacts'

A report outlining the decision said: "The proposal will result in some demolition of listed buildings, however, the works proposed will ensure the continued and long-term use of the secondary school."

It added that although the development would result in the loss of some trees and an existing playing field, proposals outlined trees being planted, a new sports pitch and no "adverse impacts" on a nearby conservation area.

The work would be carried out in phases, the council's decision notice said, with the new sports hall the first to be built.

Temporary classrooms would also be built for pupils during the phased refurbishment of the secondary school.

Construction is expected to be completed by September 2028.

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