Plans for new Kenilworth School and Sixth Form approved

The latest plans involves the creation of a single combined school site to merge the two existing sites in Kenilworth and to allow for the expansion of up to 2,200 pupils.

Council officers recommended councillors allow planning permission to be granted subject to an agreement for section 106 funds.

Before the councillors voted on the plan several people spoke up about the plan, including George Martin, with the Kenilworth All Together Greener Group.

Mr Martin said had hoped to persuade the council to defer their decision in an effort consider changes to help make the school more energy efficient among other reasons.

Mr Martin said in some of his speech: "The application does not fit with the recent WDC climate emergency motion or indeed the UK’s Climate Change Act which require net zero carbon by 2050."

The new facilities will replace the current Kenilworth School at Leyes Lane, and Sixth Form at Rouncil Lane.

The application is for new facilities to be developed at Southcrest Farm in Glasshouse Lane to the east of Kenilworth and will include a new three storey secondary school and sixth form building, walking and cycle access, parking spaces for cars, school buses, electric vehicles, sheltered bicycle racks, internal drop-off zones and sports pitches.

The planning application was submitted to the council earlier this year in April with the aim of opening the new school in September 2021.

The district council received a total of 14 objection letters, 39 letters of support and two neutral letters in regard to the school’s planning application.

The grounds for objecting ranged from harmful to air quality, potential noise pollution, increased traffic, inappropriate parking and turning by vehicles onto the main road and nearby cul-de-sacs, impact of the floodlighting of the car park to the nearby residential neighbourhood, mitigation against climate has been ignored and school is too big and should be two smaller schools.

The grounds for support ranged from an excellent campus-like approach, better support for students’ needs and modern class sizes, far greener option than existing option, existing school is outdated and not cost effective to maintain, current school is over capacity and it will free up land for new development.