No decision on future of Solihull school site set to become vacant

A decision has yet to be made on what will happen to a Solihull school site which is set to become vacant in the next few years.

Council education officers have confirmed they are considering the options for Olton Primary’s infants site.

The former Daylesford Infants merged with nearby Chapel Fields Juniors in September 2018 and plans are currently taking shape to group pupils together by building a new block on the old Chapel Fields site.

At one stage it was proposed that the Daylesford facilities, in Lyndon Road, could be used as one of two campuses for a special school for children with autism – which is currently being developed.

But following discussions with the Department for Education (DfE), it has been confirmed that this will be based at a single site in Smith’s Wood.

This has left questions about what will happen to the land in Lyndon Road, with ward councillor Ade Adeyemo (Lib Dem) asking what the plans were at a scrutiny board meeting last week.

Phil Leivers, from the education department, said: “It’s on our list of things to speak about, how we use that asset. We haven’t made a decision yet … it won’t become vacant for at least one year.”

Options on the table could include a housing development or retaining the site for educational purposes.

The planning application for the expansion of Olton Primary’s junior campus was submitted in July.

Read more: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/no-decision-future-solihull-school-16925785