Green light for new primary school on huge Redrow estate
Plans for a new primary school serving the Ledsham Garden Village development have been approved despite concerns over parking and traffic.
By Cheshire Live
Plans for a new primary school serving the Ledsham Garden Village development have been unanimously approved by Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Planning committee members backed the reserved matters application for the school on land at Sutton New Hall Farm in Little Sutton, allowing the detailed design to move forward.
Outline planning permission for the school had already been granted. The latest approval covers its appearance, layout, landscaping and scale.
The two-storey school will eventually accommodate 315 primary-age pupils. It will also include a 26-place nursery and specialist provision for 10 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Outdoor facilities will include play and teaching areas, a grass sports pitch, a multi-use games area and dedicated outdoor spaces for nursery and SEND pupils.
The school will be delivered in phases. It is expected to open initially with 210 mainstream places before expanding by a further 105 places as the Ledsham Garden Village development grows.
The process of appointing an academy trust to run the school is expected to be completed in early 2027, with the earliest anticipated opening date being September 2028.
Parking and traffic were the main issues raised during the planning committee meeting.
The plans include 26 parking spaces, prompting Councillor Razia Daniels to question whether there would be sufficient capacity for staff vehicles. Councillor Tommy Blackmore also raised concerns about traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times.
Planning officers said the parking provision met the required standards and noted that the development includes 68 cycle spaces. They added that the school had been designed to encourage sustainable travel, with most pupils expected to live within the surrounding housing development and walk or cycle to school.
Ward councillor Peter Wheeler asked for the application to be determined by the committee because of concerns about traffic, parking and the size of the building, although he supported the principle of providing a new school.
Ledsham Garden Village, being built by Redrow between Little Sutton and Ellesmere Port, is planned to deliver up to 2,000 homes across around 150 acres.
The new primary school is intended to provide education for families moving into the expanding development, with construction expected to progress once the academy operator has been appointed.