Bilston secondary school to demolish outdated sports hall after plans approved
A Bilston secondary school is to demolish its outdated sports hall and build a modern new facility along with extended car parking, Wolverhampton Council planners agreed this week.
Proposals by Moseley Park School in Holland Road will also include additional hard sports courts adjacent to the new two-storey sports centre.
The extension to the existing car park will be built on the space left by the bulldozed facility. It will result in an extra 50 car parking spaces, taking the total number to 145.
Senior planning officer Phillip Walker told committee members: “The application proposes the demolition of the existing sports hall and its replacement elsewhere on the site by a modern two-storey sports building. The new sports hall will be sited at the rear of the existing school buildings, where there are already external hard surface sports courts.”
Two new smaller hard surface courts will be established next to the new sports centre building, allowing for outdoor tennis, netball and small-sided football matches. However, these smaller courts will not include floodlighting.
“The existing sports hall building is in a poor state of repair and not fit for purpose,” said Mr Walker. “The new building will be a high-quality facility with an indoor ball court and gymnasium, as well as changing rooms and classroom space.”
Councillor Alan Butt said: “Visiting the site proved really useful. It’s a very large site and I must admit I was surprised at the amount of ground they have got. It’s a very popular school and I think the improvements they are planning will only enhance it.
“As a former tennis player in the West Midlands League, I’m pleased to see that they are planning to put a couple of hard surface courts back in, which I think is always good. Tennis might not be as popular as football, but it’s certainly popular with quite a few young people. I personally don’t have any objections to this proposal and I will move approval.”
The application was duly seconded and unanimously approved by members. The school, rated outstanding by Ofsted, is run by the Central Learning Partnership Trust (CLPT). It was built in 1959 and started life as Bilston Grammar, before merging with Etheridge Secondary School in 1975 to become Moseley Park Comprehensive.
