
Stockport Council’s Planning & Highways Regulation Committee has granted planning permission for the construction of a new school for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Hazel Grove.
The 12,900 sq ft SEND school is to be build on the netball courts of Hazel Grove High School (which will be relocated elsewhere on the school’s campus) and an area of overflow car parking. Plans for the two-storey building include standard and SEN classrooms, an IT and Engineering suite and specialised science classroom as well as fitness studio.
The majority of the roof of the building is to be equipped with solar panels to generate green energy for the school and reduce the running costs and carbon footprint of the site. Students will also benefit from a variety of outdoor facilities including hard play area and kitchen garden.
The Laurus Grace AP School will be operated by Laurus Trust and offer specialised education for around 80 students with complex educational needs or disabilities. The site was selected out of 13 locations in Stockport for by the Department for Education and Laurus Trust.
The plans for the new school aim to help meet the need for SEND school places in the borough. Stockport currently faces a shortage of school places for students with additional needs, and by 2028 is set to need an additional 20 places to meet demand of the borough’s growing population.
ICENI Projects have acted as planning consultants on the proposals, alongside architects, Pozzoni.