Council seeks views on new primary school to serve Kings Moat housing development

Cheshire West and Chester Council are launching a pre-planning consultation on the proposed design of a new primary school to be built as part of the Kings Moat housing development next to Wrexham Road, to the south of Chester city centre.

Before the school’s planning application is submitted for approval, the Council is sharing the proposed design with the local community and key stakeholders for any feedback and comments so these can be taken into consideration prior to finalising the design.

It is projected that the 1,400 homes proposed for the Kings Moat development site are likely to result in approximately 300 children aged 4-11 who will require school places in the local area.

Using current forecasts, initially the school would open as a 210 place (one form entry) mainstream primary school, with the intention to add a further 105 places (half form entry) expansion as the housing development progresses and the pupil place need arises.

The school will accommodate mixed genders aged 3-11 years and include a pre-school provision of 26 places. Based on anticipated need and the timeline to deliver a new school, it is estimated that the new school would be required to open at the earliest, in September 2026.

Once all phases of the surrounding Kings Moat housing development are complete, the school would sit centrally within the development with new homes surrounding the school and would be located close to the new community playing fields and 3G pitch and the new public park - Moat Park.

The school site would be accessed from Moat Lane, which is the secondary spine road for the housing development that will link the two roundabouts along the A483 Wrexham Road that provide access to Chester Business Park.

The consultation will run from 6 August to 6 September 2024 with an online survey available at:

https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/Wrexhamroadschool 

Three public drop-in events will also be held to provide an opportunity to view the architect’s plans and meet the project team. These will be held at the Taylor Wimpey Kings Moat Marketing Centre, Wrexham Road, Chester CH4 9DE:

13th August: between 3 - 7pm

15th August: between 10am – 2pm

4th September: between 3 – 7pm

Although the new school has already been approved in principle, as part of the masterplan for the Kings Moat development, the detailed design of the proposed 1.5 Form Entry (FE) primary school (including its external appearance, landscaping, site layout and scale) will be considered formally by way of a Reserved Matters planning application in the autumn.

Cllr. Adam Langan, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said:

“We want to hear the views of those living nearby so that we can take their feedback into account when the school’s design is finalised. The new school has been designed to offer a full range of facilities from 3-11 years of age alongside community uses and will have a comprehensive school travel plan to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling by both staff and pupils and reduce car journeys.”

Pictured - Architect visualisations and plans for the proposed new Wrexham Road School.