Children at Wetheringsett Manor School, near Stowmarket, to benefit from multi-use games area (MUGA) following council approval

Plans have been approved for a multi-use games area (MUGA) in the grounds of a special needs school.

Outcomes First Group made the application to Mid Suffolk District Council for the facility at Wetheringsett Manor School, near Stowmarket.

The site falls within the conservation area and Wetheringsett Manor is a Grade II-listed Tudor-style former rectory, now a school for children with special educational needs.

Following submission, the plans were amended, locating the MUGA further away from the Grade II-listed manor and reducing its size by about 20 per cent in a bid to limit any perceived harm to the heritage assets.

A planning and heritage statement with the application said: “Students benefit from a variety of learning environments suitable for one-to-one sessions or modern classrooms. They also benefit from extensive outdoor space, where they can enjoy the open air and creative learning.

“Notwithstanding the excellent facilities currently provided at the school, including the extensive grounds for informal recreation use by students, it currently lacks formal play space and an all-weather surface suitable for all year-round use.

“This is a normal requirement for any school but particularly important in this case.”

The MUGA will be used for a wide variety of sports including football, basketball, hockey, netball and tennis, and will be for the exclusive use of the school.

Wetheringsett Manor School provides specialist education for children between the ages of 11 and 18. Children educated at the school may have a range of needs including social, emotional and mental health.

Wetheringsett-Cum-Brockford Parish had objected to the application due to ‘large run-off of surface water from the Manor School site on to Church Street during rainfall’.

The council officer’s report said the local authority was satisfied that there was no increased risk of flooding from any source that would result as a consequence of this application.

“With regards to surface water flooding, this only occurs at the access and is an existing issue to be remedied by the applicants and the parish council,” it said.

The development of the MUGA also includes drainage.

The plans were approved on July 11.