Plans approved for new sports pavilion at Wollaston School including new classroom, changing facilities, and viewing area

Work will soon begin to construct a new single storey pavilion at Wollaston Secondary School as plans have recently been approved by North Northants Council (NNC).

An application was submitted in February for a proposed 343 sqm building that would feature changing facilities, a 59 sqm classroom, an office, and a viewing area. The plan for the school in Irchester Road was rubber-stamped on March 28.

The planning statement reads: “The school wish to erect a small changing room and teaching block on a predominantly unused plot, to provide additional sporting facilities. The building meets the criteria for permitted development. Therefore, the school are seeking a certificate of lawfulness for the proposal.

“It is proposed to erect a single storey detached pavilion block on a parcel of land to the east of the main school buildings, in an unused plot of hard and soft landscaping land between the boundaries of Tower Farm that is used for vehicle parking.

“The building would have a regular plot and would have flat roof concealed by an extended parapet. The building would provide for a changing room pavilion with a classroom, toilets, and office area.”

Wollaston School was handed a good grade from Ofsted following a visit in May 2023, with inspectors praising its sport provision and extra-curricular activities.

The pavilion will be situated 21.5 metres from separated from the school’s adjacent buildings, measuring 22 metres wide, 15.5 metres to 17.0 metres deep with a maximum height of 4.3 metres and a flat roof height of 3.5 metres. It will be constructed using brickwork and timber cladding, with uPVC windows and doors.

The development comes after the ‘Supporting housing delivery and public service infrastructure’ consultation from government, which came force on April 21, 2021 that allows benefiting schools to enlarge their facilities by up to 25 per cent of the footprint of the cumulative buildings on their site, or by up to 250 square metres, whichever is greater.

The full application and documents can be found on the NNC planning portal here.