Plans for major and colourful redevelopment of Leamington nursery and children’s centre are given green light by committee

A nursery, children’s centre and two temporary classrooms in Leamington are to be demolished and replaced by purpose-built structures clad in bright yellow and blue.

The scheme, at Kingsway Community Primary School, in Baker Avenue, was given the full backing of councillors at this week’s Warwickshire County Council regulatory meeting with one of them suggesting that other developers could learn from what was before them.

The development will see the nursery and children’s centre housed in one building split down the middle.

It will be 4.3m high and clad in yellow-coloured vertical panels with the windows, louvres and doors being dark grey.

A new section will be added to the main school building to house the sports hall and kitchen and this will be up to 6.5m high and clad in blue.

A school pond will be retained and there will be extra planting around the school boundary with a wildlife corridor also being created. A new 2m high wire mesh fence will be installed along Baker Avenue and a replacement 2m timber soundproof fence erected to the rear of gardens in Hawthorn Road.

Planning officer Sally Panayi told councillors that there had been two letters objecting due to car parking issues around the school but the situation would be helped by a plan to increase the car park from 38 spaces to 50.

She explained: “We have had two objections and both included comments in relation to on-street parking. They are the usual peak on-street problems where people are even parking on the yellow zig-zag lines during drop-off and pick-up. It is a standard problem but the expansion of the parking will, I think, help that by allowing more staff to park on the site.”

Rather than using the main school entrance, construction traffic will use a temporary access from Queensway.

Cllr John Cooke (Con, Lapworth and West Kenilworth) proposed that the plans be approved.

Cllr Judy Falp (Ind, Whitnash) seconded the proposal and added: “I’m not a great lover of encouraging cars but you have midwives and health visitors here who do not sit in the office all day.

"They have to come in and out and the parking is tight at the moment so I welcome the increase in parking.”

Cllr Jan Matecki (Con, Budbrooke and Bishop’s Tachbrook) added: “It seems to tick all the boxes and others should maybe learn from this application.”