Former Our Lady and Pope John site in line for new homes

Corby OLPJ closes.
Pupils leave the school for the last time.
Picture Bernard Hales 15 July 2005 — Corby OLPJ closes. Pupils leave the school for the last time. Picture Bernard Hales 15 July 2005

Orbit Group wants to build 88 new low-cost homes on the site of Our Lady and Pope John RC School, which was closed in 2005 after it failed an inspection and was condemned in three subsequent visits by Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

It was then used by Kingswood School but suffered vandalism and arson for several years before it was finally demolished.

Every house in the scheme will be an affordable home and will be either for rent, rent-to-buy or shared ownership.

There will be 62 two-bed homes and 26 three-bed houses. Orbit already manages 40,000 similar homes across the East and Midlands.

The site will be accessed by extending Tower Hill Road and supercedes a previous application for 95 homes given permission for the same site in 2013.

The developers were asked, via a S106 agreement, to contribute £203,340 towards primary education, £192,340 towards secondary education and £17,126 towards libraries in the borough. However, they say that if they do this, the scheme will become unviable.

A planning statement to Corby Borough Council says: “This is a brownfield site in a sustainable urban location, with good access to local facilities, so is entirely in line with national and local planning policy.

“In order to bring forward a 100% affordable scheme it is not possible to follow NSS guidelines however, nor make any additional Section 106 contributions should they arise.”

The scheme is recommended for approval by Corby Council’s development control committee which will meet in Tuesday evening to discuss the application.