Councillors agree Brownsover 'desperately' needs new secondary school - The Rugby Observer

Councillors agree Brownsover 'desperately' needs new secondary school

Rugby Editorial 19th Jan, 2022   0

A NEW secondary school is ‘desperately’ needed in Brownsover if a new 475-home development is to be given the go-ahead, councillors have agreed.

A cross-party agreement was reached in a Rugby Borough Council planning meeting that the proposed development, off Central Park Drive in Coton Park, must retain land for a secondary school.

The current proposals have set aside land for ‘either secondary school provision or residential development’.

Responding to a public consultation on the development, local residents told the council that a secondary school was needed in the area.




Labour’s Coun Jim Ellis of Newbold and Brownsover Ward told the meeting a secondary school ‘must be secured as part of the development’ – adding that bus transport to other schools was difficult, and the Leicester Road was unsafe for crossing.

And Conservative Coun Carolyn Robbins of Coton and Boughton Ward agreed, adding that Warwickshire County Council (WCC) ‘set out difficulties’ of carrying out an assessment during the pandemic to establish the need for a secondary school in the north of Rugby.


The cross-party Planning Committee agreed that the development’s Section 106 Agreement – outlining measures the developer must take to reduce impact on the community – should be amended to negotiate further safeguarding of land for a secondary school, ‘to support Warwickshire County Council’s review of secondary education provision in the area’.

Coun Ellis is now asking for the public’s support to convince WCC to purchase the land by reinforcing the case for the school.

He said: “Rugby Labour councillors know this school is desperately needed and has been for decades. It will make local kids safer as they travel to a local school.

“However there is much work to be done. Local councillors would ask every parent to join our determined effort to make it happen by showing support for a secondary school.

“Without evidence of community support, it will be harder to justify the case for a school. If WCC do not buy the land, there will be no local school.”

He urged residents to write to Mark Ryder, WCC’s Director of Community, at [email protected] to state the case for a new secondary school in the north of Rugby.

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