Welborne: Plan for new primary school in under-construction Hampshire town takes step forward after Fareham Borough Council assent
Plans for a new primary school have been come a step closer to fruition
Plans have taken a step forward for a new primary school in a village being built from scratch.
The 420-place school will serve the expanding Welborne Garden Village development near Fareham.
The proposals, submitted to Hampshire County Council, were brought before the planning committee at Fareham Borough Council on Wednesday. The local authority is a consultee on the plans. Members unanimously agreed to raise no objection to the proposals.
The proposed two-form entry school would provide places for up to 420 pupils, including a specialist SEN (special educational needs) resource provision for an additional 10 children.
The school is intended to support the first phase of housing at Welborne, specifically the northern area known as the Chesterfield neighbourhood and village centre.
The site earmarked for the school lies north of Knowle Road, close to the village of Knowle.
Developers said the new facility is essential to meet demand from families moving into the large-scale housing scheme.
While an academy trust has not yet been appointed to run the school, plans show a range of facilities designed to allow flexible community use.
These include a main hall, music and drama studio, library and ICT-rich learning resource centre, SEN and parent rooms, accessible toilets, and outdoor playing pitches.
The school itself would have 14 classrooms, a specialist resource provision classroom, group rooms, a practical learning space, staff facilities, administrative offices, a kitchen, and additional support areas such as storage and plant rooms.
The school is expected to employ around 47 staff, including approximately 20 teaching staff and 27 non-teaching staff.
Roles would include a headteacher, class teachers, special educational needs coordinator, teaching assistants, and support staff such as site managers, office workers, catering staff, lunchtime supervisors, and cleaners. A further three staff would be assigned to the SEN resource provision.