Shrewsbury School's new £4.4m girls' boarding house approved
Plans for a new girls’ boarding house in the grounds of Shrewsbury School have been approved.
The £4.4 million accommodation block will house 57 boarders as well as study areas for day pupils, communal areas and staff accommodation.
Construction is expected to start next summer and the new block will be opened in September 2023.
The school, which was named Independent School of the Year 2020, says a fifth girls’ house is needed to meet increasing demand, with all existing boarding houses currently at capacity.
The new house is set to be built in the grounds of the boys’ house Ridgemount, near Hodgson Hall, the school’s newest academic building which opened in 2015.
It has been designed around a “majestic and historic” cedar of Lebanon tree which will sit at the centre of the garden.
A report by Shropshire Council planning officers says the block would cause “minor visual harm” in relation to the Grade II-listed Ridgemount and the town’s conservation area, but that this is outweighed by the benefits of expanding the school.
It adds: “In addition the proposed building would have an architectural quality which would respect the distinctive character of the school’s buildings, and is acceptable in this context.”
Granting planning permission, the report concludes: “The proposed boarding school would meet a demand for additional girls’ accommodation at Shrewsbury School.
“The design is of a satisfactorily high standard of architecture which respects the adjacent heritage assets and the distinctive character of the area.
“The minor identified harm to heritage assets would be outweighed by the public benefits of the proposal including the enhanced education provision.
“The layout and siting would respond positively to the need to minimise tree loss, particularly those such as the cedar tree which is individually protected.
“Impacts on the local landscape character would not be unacceptable and visual and ecological enhancements can be provided as part of a landscape and habitat creation scheme.”
The school was founded in 1552 and moved to its current campus in 1882.
Four girls’ boarding houses have been created since the school became co-educational in 2008, with two new-builds and the conversion of two former boys’ houses.
Fees for boarding pupils are between £12,835 and £13,840 per term.
A design and access statement submitted to the council by Adrian James Architects said: “The intention is to provide Shrewsbury School with a new building which sits comfortably within and enhances the school’s campus, is of a comparable architectural quality to the school’s finest buildings, is of lasting aesthetic appeal and will age gracefully, and will be enjoyed and remembered fondly by all the girls who spend their formative years there."
