Demolition of empty primary school set to move forward
The planned demolition of a former primary school for housing is set to take a step forward next week when Shropshire Council will be asked to agree to the sale of the land.
The Oakland Primary School site in Bayston Hill is being bought by the council’s own developer, Cornovii Homes, for around £650,000, with the money ringfenced to be re-invested back into education.
Cornovii intends to knock down the school building, which was vacated in 2009, and replace it with 23 new homes as well as public open space.
Planning permission for the development was granted by the council’s northern planning committee in December, and the council's cabinet is now being asked to approve the sale so work at the site can begin.
Oakland Primary School was vacated in 2009 when the Oakland and Longmeadow schools merged to form Oakmeadow Primary School.
A report to cabinet by Mark Barrow, director of place, says: “The Oakland school site was declared surplus to requirements and earmarked for disposal as set out in a previous cabinet report dated 27 September 2017.
“This incorporated the redevelopment of the Oakland School site and the adjacent land owned by the Diocese of Lichfield.
“This was however, discontinued. This report now details a proposal to dispose of just the Oakland School site – the land in Shropshire Council’s ownership only.”
The council and the diocese jointly obtained outline permission in 2019 for 52 houses and a community hub building, which would have housed the village library.
Putting forward the reduced scheme last year, Cornovii said it would no longer be able to incorporate a hub, but promised £200,000 of community infrastructure levy (CIL) funding.
In addition, the developer has agreed to pay £75,000 towards improvements to local playing fields, to mitigate for the loss of the school field.
The application originally proposed only a £20,000 contribution, but this was increased after the application was deferred by the planning committee in November when members said they were not satisfied with the amount.
The scheme will also include two affordable homes.
Mr Barrow’s report adds that the council has received a £335,000 government grant towards remedial work on the site.
The cabinet will be asked to approve the sale at a meeting next Wednesday.
