(UK) Hyndburn Borough: 23% increase in SPED plans in 1 yr; 25 place special school approved
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Plans to transform a vacant former office building into a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school have been approved by Hyndburn Borough Council.
The scheme will see the former Riley and Shutt offices in Malt Street converted into a specialist primary school for up to 25 SEND children, with facilities including classrooms, therapy spaces, a sensory garden, outdoor play areas and a dining hall.
Council planning officers recommended approval after concluding there was no realistic demand for the building's continued use as offices and that the educational benefits of the proposal outweighed the loss of the employment site.
According to the approved plans, submitted by Sheila Wright Planning on behalf of Beacon Lights, the school will employ around 15 staff, and the works will involve the demolition of an external workshop to create an outdoor play area for its students.
In a report approving the scheme, Hyndburn planning officers said there was a recognised need for additional SEND provision in East Lancashire and attached ‘positive weight’ to the educational benefits of the development.
The report states: "The submitted Planning Statement suggests that there is a specific need for social, environmental and mental health education provision in East Lancashire."
Planning officers also noted national planning policy requires ‘great weight’ to be given to the need to create schools.
A key issue for planners making the decision to convert the offices was whether the loss of employment space was justified. . . .
The authority said the number of children receiving support through Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) has increased by 23 per cent over the past year.
It also reported a 76 per cent reduction in the number of children waiting longer than 20 weeks for an assessment, alongside a 75 per cent increase in the SEND workforce.
The county council said it has invested more than £9m in educational psychology support, £2m to help mainstream schools support SEND pupils and created hundreds of additional specialist school places across Lancashire.
The new Accrington school is intended to help meet that continuing demand for specialist provision in East Lancashire, with applicant Beacon Lights previously describing the scheme as a "state-of-the-art" facility that would provide high-quality education and therapeutic support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
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