Plans for a new secondary school in Stevenage, catering for 1,260 pupils, have been approved by the borough council's planning committee. 

Stevenage Borough Council has given Bowmer and Kirkland permission to clear the former Collenswood and Barnwell School buildings and construct a new academy campus in the Shephall area.

The new school will cater for children aged 11 to 19 and will be run by Michaela Community Schools Trust – an academy trust which already operates one Ofsted Outstanding-rated school in Wembley, north London.

Developers first submitted their application to Stevenage Borough Council in April 2022 ahead of a proposed opening date in 2024.

The Comet: Proposed Michaela school and multi-use games area, StevenageProposed Michaela school and multi-use games area, Stevenage (Image: Bowmer and Kirkland)

The council’s Planning and Development Committee debated the proposals last July, but asked developers to supply them with more information about how they would mitigate the impact of traffic on nearby roads, including the Redwing Close cul-de-sac.

They additionally asked the developer to consider new pedestrian entrances and to supply details of the proposed acoustic fencing.

At a meeting yesterday (Thursday, November 1), councillors heard how Bowmer and Kirkland and the Department for Education would support measures to limit drop-off and pick-up activity in Redwing Close, which could impact pupils at the nearby Ashtree Primary School.

It reads: “The applicant has suggested that the best approach to mitigating the impact of traffic on Redwing Close would be for the council to promote a Traffic Regulation Order.

“Such an order would place limits on parking on Redwing Close during pick-up and drop-off times.

“The applicant has expressed a willingness to fund the cost of the order.”

New pedestrian entrances have been proposed from Barham Road – which has been routed to “limit tree loss” – and Dene Lane.

The developer said an acoustic fence would appear as a “typical close boarded timber fence” and that the development could achieve a 10.82 per cent biodiversity net gain on the site.

A design statement by the developer reads: “The brief is to create a new secondary school that will provide an exciting education facility to pupils aged 11-19.”

It notes the development will feature a drama space, a four-court sports hall, a main hall and a large suite for sixth formers.

“A key part of school design is to provide good passive supervision both internally and externally,” the report adds.

“This helps to create a calm and safe environment across the school.

“The building has been designed so that sections of the building can be closed off and used by the community out of hours.”

The Barnwell School campus closed in 2014 and the Stevenage Education Support Centre (SESC) for pupils who are permanently excluded or at risk of permanent exclusion began using the site.

The SESC will also be developed as part of the project, but the school will exist separately to the new Michaela Community School.

The council received 37 letters of objection to the plans.

“The most often cited reason for objection was the removal of trees to the rear of 1-15 Cromwell Road and the associated impacts on ecology, climate change, drainage and air quality,” an officer assessment read.

“Many residents also expressed concerns about the impact of the proposed footpath on privacy, noise pollution and crime or anti-social behaviour.”

In granting the application, councillors agreed a number of conditions should be imposed on the school, among them that lighting should be angled to limit the impact of the development on neighbours and that timed delivery slots be introduced for traffic management on surrounding residential roads.

According to the Department for Education, there number of secondary school places increased by 14,451 in Hertfordshire between 2010 and 2021.

An estimated 870 additional places are needed to meet demand in the 2023/24 academic year.