Classrooms plan approved to provide for children with special needs at Hartlepool's High Tunstall College of Science

Proposals were submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council planning department earlier this year to retain a demountable classroom at High Tunstall College of Science to provide additional support to pupils in the town.

Submitted by Kelly Armstrong, from the council child and adult services department, proposals will see the unit be used as a classroom once more from September 2021.

The site has been used as storage since 2019, when High Tunstall opened its new state-of-the-art main school building, but from 2009 until then had been used for teaching.

A report from senior council planning officer Jane Tindall backed the proposals for approval, adding they will have no negative impact on the area and are in line with their policy.

She said: “The proposal is considered to be in accordance with policy which seeks to support the expansion of community/education facilities and will allow for expanded classroom space.

“The scale of the development is, overall, considered to respect the proportions of the adjacent school buildings and the application site as a whole.”

A planning statement, from Dave Kelly, building consultancy at the council, previously outlined how the proposals would support children with additional needs across Hartlepool.

It said: “The building was used for teaching purposes from its installation up until the new main school building was completed in 2019.

“Since then the mobile unit has been used for storage of teaching equipment and furniture.

“The mobile unit is now required for additional teaching space for children with moderate learning difficulties due to a shortfall of spaces in other Hartlepool schools.”

The proposals include refurbishing the existing building, including minor repair works and general maintenance, together with the installation of toilet facilities for both pupils and staff.

The site is to be home to two classrooms, according to proposals.

The planning statement adds the council will be looking to retain the building in its current location until April 2032, with that type of modular building having “a useful lifespan of approximately 20-25 years”.

However council planning officers have said the lifespan of the building will ultimately be a management matter for the school.

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