A new special school will mean fewer pupils will have to travel outside Stoke-on-Trent for their education, councillors say.

Plans for the new facility on the former site of Middlehurst School, in Chell, have been approved by planning committee members at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The 82-place school for seven to 16-year-olds will operate as a satellite to the nearby Watermill School. Two residents objected to the council's planning application, saying it would increase existing problems with traffic on Turnhurst Road, and also raising concerns over noise and loss of privacy.

But members of the planning committee agreed with their officer's recommendation to approve the scheme. They said the new school would help address the shortfall of special educational needs (SEN) provision in Stoke-on-Trent, and would be good news for both families and the taxpayer.

The city council is on course to overspend its SEN transport budget by £1.6 million this year, due to rising costs and increasing numbers of children needing to be ferried to schools outside the city.

The new school will prove 82 places for seven to 16 year olds (Image via planning application).

Councillor Ross Irving said: "I think in planning terms this is perfectly acceptable. It's a school replacing another school. I think we're all well aware of the shortage of SEN places, not just in the city but throughout Staffordshire.

"So I think we have to welcome this proposal to improve the facilities for SEN. It will be linked to Watermills School, which I know is an excellent school, and so I think this will be a very successful development."

Councillor Laura Carter said: "There will be a lot of families in the city with SEN children who will be happy at this development. The extra SEN places in the city will mean children won't have to sit in taxis or buses for a couple of hours a day to go to schools outside the city."

The former Middlehurst School was closed 10 years ago and demolished in 2022, as it was considered unsuitable for refurbishment. Previous plans for a new SEN school on the site were approved last year, but this scheme was shelved as it was too expensive, resulting in new plans being drawn up.

The proposed school building will be a mix of one and two-storey elements, with the development also including an enclosed recreational area, a playground and parking spaces. Residents living nearby said the new school would increase traffic on the already congested Turnhurst Road, particularly in the mornings and afternoons.

But highways officers found that the scheme was acceptable, subject to conditions. The development will also include an acoustic barrier to reduce the school's noise impact, with the use of the recreational area being limited to term time during the day.

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