A new primary school which was due to open in Nantwich in 2024 has been delayed for a year because of legal, planning and cost-related issues, writes Belinda Ryan.
Planning permission was granted in June for the new 210-pupil Kingsbourne Academy on the Kingsley Fields development.
And the school was due to open for its first class of 30 reception pupils in September 2024.
Cheshire East Council says delays, including transferring the site to the council and increasing costs, have impacted on the building programme.
It is anticipated construction work will now begin in late Spring 2024, with the school opening in September 2025.
A report to next week’s meeting of the children and families committee states: “The programme to deliver the new school was based on a start on site of July 2023 in order to achieve completion in readiness for the September 2024 reception class intake.
“The decision notice for the planning permission has not yet been issued as a result of a late consultee response from United Utilities which was received in August 2023.
“Additional information was requested, and this has now been provided and sent back to United Utilities to review.”
It adds: “It has been established that a new substation is required to support the school.
“It is anticipated that providing the new substation, an upgrade to the supply infrastructure in the locality and temporary power will cost approximately £443K.”
This means the cost of the scheme, when all other increases are taken into account, will now be £8.612m.
The budget approved in the children and families capital programme is £7.78m.
It will be discussed at Monday’s (November 13) meeting of Cheshire East Council children and families committee.
The recommendation is councillors note the 12-month delay for opening the new school.
The meeting takes place at 2pm at the council’s Westfields HQ at Sandbach.
Was the building of the school part of the agreement to allow the housing development ?
If so why was the planning permission already in place and the power infrastructure costed and installed upto the substation from the off?
Or have I got that totally wrong? Is this town again being fobbed off to appease developers…just like the road to nowhere in the same area ??