Kenilworth School and Sixth Form's planned move to new site in town could be delayed

Kenilworth School and Sixth Form's planned move to a joint site at Southcrest Farm in September 2021 is at risk of being delayed.
Kenilworth School and Sixth Form wish to move to a joint site by September 2021 - bu the move is at risk of being delayedKenilworth School and Sixth Form wish to move to a joint site by September 2021 - bu the move is at risk of being delayed
Kenilworth School and Sixth Form wish to move to a joint site by September 2021 - bu the move is at risk of being delayed

The move will free up land for housing at the old sites in Leyes Lane and Rouncil Lane as part of Warwick District Council’s Local Plan.

To do this, the school needs to buy the land at Southcrest Farm from the landowner.

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But a recent offer from Kenilworth School has been rejected. If negotiations continue to stall, the council may have to issue a Compulsory Purchase Order to buy the land - which could end up delaying the move.

A report to the council's executive by council officers stated: “Not all elements of the relocation project have gone as smoothly as would have been hoped.”

Despite this, the school is remaining positive about the move.

Richard Hales, a school governor, said: “Kenilworth School is very excited about the new school project, Commercial discussions are ongoing to purchase the relocation site and develop the land disposal options. We are working towards opening the new school in 2021.”

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The council is likely to buy all or part of the Sixth Form’s land at Rouncil Lane to start developing the site for housing. The Local Plan has earmarked 130 new homes to be built there.

It is also likely to loan the school around £1 million to enable it to submit a planning application to build on Southcrest Farm and to cover some of the upfront costs of the new school.

The council’s executive will make a final decision on whether to buy the Rouncil Lane land and loan the money to the school at a meeting on Wednesday October 31.