Secondary school opening delayed as costs rise

An artist's impression of what the new school on Newtown Road will look like

A new Worcester secondary school will cost millions more than first thought and will not open for another four years.

Initial plans were revealed in 2021 and up until last year Worcestershire County Council said the school was on track to open in 2026 and reach full capacity by 2030.

But a report approved by the council's cabinet now states the plan is for the school, which will be built in fields off Newtown Road, to open in September 2028.

The report also outlined the capital budget for the new school had increased from £50m to £59.9m.

An extra £2.6m will be spent to help accommodate additional pupils at existing Worcester secondary schools.

Until its opening the existing secondary schools in the city are expected to provide additional Year 7 places.

The report also warned: "This is the lowest current estimate for total capital costs – further increases may be required (subject to cabinet approval) if the costs of mitigations increase beyond this."

The council said it had explored the option of using temporary buildings on the Newtown Road site, but decided the scale of the operation would cause both logistical and a health and safety difficulties for school and construction staff.

Cabinet members heard that following a public consultation held last summer, a planning application is now ready to be submitted to the council as the planning authority.

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

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