Council agrees funding towards schools and roads projects
More than £8 million has been committed by Shropshire Council towards major projects to construct schools in Shrewsbury and a new roundabout outside Oswestry.
Councillors have agreed to allocate £5.95 million of Community Infrastructure Levy funds to plans to increase school places in Shrewsbury, with a further £2.19 million to go towards a new roundabout layout for Mile End which will also allow Oswestry Innovation Park to be built.
Plans were signed off in December to move Shrewsbury’s Sundorne Nursery and Infants School in Corndon Crescent to share the Harlescott Junior School site in Featherbed Lane, allowing Shrewsbury Academy to expand onto the vacated site.
Under the proposals a new mainstream primary school will also be constructed in Bowbrook, to be co-located with a new special school which is being funded by the Department for Education.
The final aspect of the project is to increase secondary provision by building a new block of five classrooms at Meole Brace School.
The total cost of the scheme is £27.2 million, and it is hoped that all work will be complete in time for the new schools to welcome pupils by September 2022.
The funds earmarked for alterations to Oswestry’s Mile End Roundabout will contribute towards the total cost of £16.51 million, with £9.3 million coming from a government Highways Infrastructure Fund grant, and £5 million from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The scheme, which was signed off by councillors in a private meeting in February, will also facilitate the proposed Oswestry Innovation Park. Planning permission for the new roundabout layout was approved last month and will see a second island created to alleviate traffic pressure.
Councillors overwhelmingly agreed to put a total of £8.14 million towards the two projects from CIL funds, which have been collected from developers to support infrastructure improvements in the county.
A report by Mark Barrow, director of place, to councillors ahead of the meeting on Thursday says the total CIL money the council has available is £19.6 million, of which £11.11 will remain if members agree to support the two named projects.
