Top Shropshire private school faces parish council opposition to boarding house plans

Concord College at Acton Burnell wants to build a new boarding house including 60 en-suite bedrooms.

In its application to Shropshire Council, which is still being considered, the school said the 'primary objective' of the plan was to provide 'a higher standard of living for international boarding students'.

The school is hugely popular with overseas students and currently has people from around 40 different nationalities studying at the college.

It has built up a reputation for excellence and last year it was the winner of the Independent Schools of the Year award for best International Student Experience.

Ranked as one of the top 125 private schools in the world, Concord College was also named as Independent School of the Year for the West Midlands in The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2024.

Its plan is to build the boarding house on land to the north of the site.

But the local parish council has called for Shropshire Council to reject the proposal and ask the college to submit a "revised application".

A response to the planning application says the position was unanimously agreed by the members of Acton Burnell Frodesley Pitchford Ruckley and Langley Parish Council at its December 4 meeting.

The proposal is for a building that is nearly 13 metres high, and the objection centres on the scale of the building and its potential visual impact.

The objection states: "The council is not opposed to the principle of building a new boarding house on the college site; however the scale, nature and location of the proposed development would have a severely negative impact on the natural and historic environment of Acton Burnell.

"The council strongly urges Shropshire Council to refuse permission for this application and invite the applicant to submit a revised application relocating the proposed boarding house to an alternative location on the college site set much further back from the road where it may be screened by vegetation and would be less visible and intrusive."

It adds: "The building will dominate the skyline and will not positively improve the overall appearance of the local area or visually enhance the heritage assets in the conservation area which the site borders.

"The council is concerned that such a large building so visible on the approach to Acton Burnell will become a local landmark recognisable as the gateway to the village overshadowing the current beautiful views and heritage buildings and dramatically changing the character of the village."

The submission adds that the council has also received comments from some local residents concerned at the size and location of the building.

In its application the college explains that it has been at the Acton Burnell site since 1973 and has grown from 90 students to around 600 at the present day.

The school caters for pupils aged 13 to 18 and has a pupil roll of 582, of which 115 are day pupils and 467 are boarders.

Boarding fees at the school for 2023/24 are £17,800 per term, and £53,400 per annum.

The college, which employs around 320 people, adds that it has a licence from the Department of Education for a pupil roll of up to 630 pupils but has no plans to exceed, or apply to extend, the licence.

A decision on the application will be taken at a later date.