Private school plans more new buildings

A private boarding school in south Shropshire has outlined further plans to redevelop its campus.

Concord College wants to demolish two buildings on its site in Acton Burnell and replace them with improved dining and boarding blocks.

It is part of a masterplan announced in 2023 to replace a number of outdated buildings.

Shropshire Council, which earlier this year approved a boarding house and sports facilities, will consider the plans in due course.

The two new buildings are a dining hub on the site of the existing West End building, and girls' boarding accommodation replacing Elisabeth House.

Planning documents supporting the application argued: "Although Concord College is a highly successful and prestigious school, some of its facilities such as the Dining Hall fail to reflect this."

The statement added the dining hub would "form the social heart of the campus", providing a place for students to meet, chat and socialise.

The wider Concord College campus is close to Grade II listed Acton Burnell Hall, Grade I listed Acton Burnell Castle, and the Grade I listed Church of St Mary.

The college said elements of the scheme had been redesigned following advice from Historic England, and that views of and from the key buildings had been considered.

The proposals come against a backdrop of government plans to charge VAT on private school fees, which the sector claimed had cut the number of pupils starting in schools this September.

Another Shropshire school, Bedstone College, announced plans to raise fees for foreign students while cutting them for those from the UK.

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.