Legal bid over £30m school is thrown out
‘This is a massive investment in the future of children’
THE High Court has thrown out a legal challenge against planning permission to build a new £30million secondary school in Cheltenham.
The application for a judicial review lodged by a Leckhampton resident wanted to add tree screening to preserve the views of the Cotswold AONB, move the all-weather astropitch to a new position and stop the removal of a public footpath.
But His Honour Judge Jarman QC found in favour of education authority Gloucestershire County Council, saying it was up to the county council to decide what should change rather than the court.
Work began on the new school, called The High School Leckhampton, last month and parents had until October 31 to submit applications for pupil places.
The county council says the school is needed to solve the problem of a lack of secondary school places in the town, which received planning consent in May.
The 900-pupil capacity school will be built on the countryside between Farm Lane and Kidnappers Lane, off the A46 Shurdington Road ready for September 2022.
Councillor Patrick Molyneux, cabinet member for education, at Gloucestershire County Council said: “This is a great result and I’m very pleased that the High Court have ruled in our favour.
“This low carbon, high quality school is a massive investment in the future of children in Cheltenham, and the surrounding area.
“It’s a key part of our £100m investment in schools across the county and means that local children have access to education on their doorstep rather than needing to travel.”
Last month Leckhampton and Warden Hill Parish Council agreed to oppose the judicial review and ask for the bid to be withdrawn with the vote split, and the majority of councillors supported a review of environmental and landscape issues.
The plans show classrooms and outdoor areas will be built, including large grass playing fields, an astro-turf pitch, tennis courts, an outdoor area for table tennis, and a cafe with outdoor seating.
There will be a 450-seat main hall, parking space for 110 cars and space for 115 bicycles.
Plans to build a new teaching block at Balcarras School, in Charlton Kings which is also the new school’s sponsor, were submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council in September.
The building will be used to teach the school’s first Year 7 pupils from September 2021.
They will then transfer into the new school the following year.