Care home to become new base for special needs pupils
A CARE home will be converted into a school for pupils with special educational needs.
Eden House, off Chelford Road,
Macclesfield, provides accommodation for children aged between seven and 18 who have learning or physical disabilities.
It is run by Family Care Associates who also runs the adjacent Eden School, which teaches up to eight children between six and 18 with learning and mental disabilities.
The company submitted plans to Cheshire East Council to expand Eden School into the care home and these have been approved. The home currently houses three children placed there by Manchester City Council, who will all be relocated closer to their families.
And the expansion will provide space to teach up to seven more pupils with special educational needs, meaning a total of 15 can be educated at the site.
A planning statement submitted with the application said: “There is an identified need to provide additional SEN school places in Cheshire East.
“This development will enable Eden School to meet the needs of up to seven additional young people who cannot successfully manage education in a mainstream or larger specialised setting.
“It will also provide an improved learning environment for existing pupils, whilst eliminating the potential for conflicts to arise as a result of the site being utilised by both a care home and school.”
The building will be adapted to include a reception, four classrooms, staff offices, a library and space for meetings.
The council’s planning officer said the proposal will not ‘significantly negatively impact the character of the area or the amenity of users and neighbours’.