Havering Council’s strategic planning committee are set to review initial plans for a new SEND school on the Balgores Fields site at a meeting next Thursday (July 10).
While the proposals have been in the pipeline for more than a year, the development is still at pre-application stage, and committee members will have the chance to review it before a planning application is submitted at the end of July.
A council report published ahead of the meeting reveals that the school – planned to cater for 300 pupils with complex autism – will stretch to more than 4,000 square metres.
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The building will be up to two storeys and include facilities such as general and specialist teaching spaces, therapy spaces, a therapy pool, an enterprise hub with a focus on life skills, and assembly halls for both upper and lower school cohorts.
Outside, a multi-use games area is proposed, as well as a natural grass pitch and a forest school area.
According to the report, the aim would be for the community to be able to use the building outside of school hours.
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Parking will include space for 41 staff, 10 visitors or parent drop-off and five minibuses.
There will also be 14 short stay cycle spaces and 28 long stay cycle spaces, which will be suitable for enlarged bicycles, according to the report.
Balgores SEND School has already been considered at five pre-application meetings with planning officers, however the report says that the scheme may be reviewed by the committee for a final time before a planning application is submitted.
