A planning application has been submitted by Worcestershire County Council and healthcare property company Prime plc to continue progress of a new Worcester City Secondary School and new car parking facilities adjacent to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
The new school, which is set to open for the start of the academic year in 2028, will ensure children can access a secondary school place within their local community in a growing City.
The need for a new secondary school in Worcester goes hand in hand with the approval of large housing developments around the City, and also improves choice and access for families.
Councillor Marcus Hart, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Communications, said: “Submitting the planning application alongside Prime is the next step in ensuring we are able to meet the need for secondary school places in Worcester. Working alongside Prime also enables a joined-up approach to making best use of the wider site.”
Guy Kippen, Associate Development Director at Prime, said: “Demand for parking at Worcestershire Royal Hospital has been an ongoing challenge for staff, patients and visitors to the hospital.
“Through Prime’s previous experience we have identified a solution next to the hospital which improves current congestion issues and increases parking capacity.
“We will be asking planners to support proposals by granting outline planning permission for the facility, which approves the development in principle, and it being accessed via Nunnery Way. We will then be working alongside the hospital, County Council and local community to develop more detailed designs before submitting more detailed plans in 2025.”
The application will also focus on the associated highway works in the form of a new access and exit road onto the A4440 Nunnery Way which will allow entry to, and exit from, the hospital car park and create the potential for a new blue light route for emergency vehicles to reach and leave the hospital. It will also include a new access road off Newtown Road to service the school specifically.
By pursuing a hybrid application for the school, the access roads and the multi-storey car park jointly it enables a more strategic, comprehensive approach and solution to traffic users of the hospital, school and local residents, whilst providing a biodiversity net gain on the site.
The new 850-space multistorey car parking facilities for the hospital will ease the current traffic and congestion issues experienced around Charles Hastings Way and address any potential concerns about additional school-related traffic on Newtown Road and consequential impacts on the blue light route at peak times.
In November 2022, the Department for Education confirmed that Oasis Community Learning would be the preferred sponsor for the new Worcester City Secondary School. Oasis Community Learning is a multi-academy trust with 52 academies across the country including 18 secondary schools and Oasis Academy Warndon, which opened in 2015 and is proudly rated ‘Outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted.
The planning reference for this application is 24/000020/REG3. To view and comment on the live application, please visit the e-Planning Portal.
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