New nursery could be built at primary school
A new nursery could be built at a primary school, replacing and expanding on the current prefabricated facility, if plans are approved.
Redhill Primary Academy, in Priorslee, was built in 1997 and the existing nursery annexe came five years later.
Under the governing trust’s plans, the new building would have nearly double the floorspace of its predecessor, and a statement submitted on its behalf says it aims to accommodate 50 three- to five-year-olds. It is currently registered to take 37.
St Georges and Priorslee Parish Council will be consulted, and Telford and Wrekin Council will make its decision at a later date.
Redhill Nursery opened as part of Redhill Primary School in 2015, having previously been run as a private pre-school. The Gatcombe Way school as a whole converted to academy status in 2018 and is now part of the Thomas Telford Multi-Academy Trust.
A design statement, submitted by Shrewsbury-based Baart Harries Newall Architects on behalf of trust CFO Stephen Turton, says replacing the planned change would “increase the capacity of the existing nursery provision and deliver a more sustainable building”.
“The existing nursery is situated to the northeast of the site with its own dedicated site entrance,” it says.
“The nursery, with a gross area of 140 square metres, was constructed in approximately 2002.”
The new facility, if approved, would have 255 square metres of internal floor space. One nursery classroom, with a retractable divider which could be deployed to form two, would occupy half of this space. Other facilities, including toilets, a kitchen, storerooms, staff facilities and a covered buggy store would be arranged around it.
The surrounding area, the statement adds, “is currently undergoing major development, with several large housing schemes under construction with many more developments either granted planning permission or currently in the planning process”.
