Radcliffe: School expansion would create space for 70 more pupils

Millwood Primary Special School on School Street, Radcliffe, want to build an extension to contain seven new classrooms, a multi-purpose hall and support areas.

There will also be landscaping works to include play areas, railings and and external pagoda with additional car parking on the existing school site.

The school currently has capacity for 171 pupils with special educational needs from the ages of two-11.

It opened in 2012 and contains a central teaching hub, three teaching wings and a hydrotherapy pool.

To the north of the school building is a multi use games area (MUGA) and a play area.

The school is accessed from School Street with a car park with 115 spaces, including eight accessible spaces and minibus drop off areas.

Millwood Primary Special School

There is vacant land to the east, which has planning consent for 91 homes.

The Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal forms the boundary to the west.

A design and access report in support of the plans said: “Inspections of the provision within Bury in 2017 and 2019 identified a lack of sufficient maintained specialist provision and Bury Council have worked with the DfE to improve and increase the provision.

“The application proposes the extension of the current provision at Millwood Primary Special School.

“This is proposed in a new classroom extension, linked to the existing circulation and school, and located to the south west corner of the existing school site.

“The classroom block extension will allow provision for an additional 70 pupils within the school in classrooms designed to be flexible to adapt to varying pressures for numbers, age and SEND requirements within the borough.”

The proposals will be put before  Bury Council’s planning committee at a meeting next week.