New 420-pupil primary school set to be built at former swimming pool site

Plans for a new 420 capacity school on the site of a former swimming pool and day centre are set to be approved this week. The three-storey building would be built on the site of the Jubilee centre on Darley Street in the Halliwell area of Bolton.

The purpose-built primary school would be the permanent home for the Olive Primary School, run by the Star Academies Trust. The school is currently on a temporary site at Ashton House, Waterloo Street.

The plans are set to be decided on Thursday at a meeting of Bolton Council’s planning committee. Other areas covered by the application include a multi-use games area and a designated drop off and pick up zone.

READ MORE: Headteacher known for transforming troubled schools is behind the turnaround of inner city academy

The school would have a two-form entry intake with an admission number of 60 pupils per year group across ages four to 11, with a total capacity of 420 places. The Jubilee Centre, which was a well loved community building, including a swimming pool, is being replaced by a soon to open £6 million day centre off Crompton Way.

A planning officer’s report on the school application, said: “The building would be three storeys in height and would extend to a height of 9.6m from the finished floor level to ceiling. Vehicle access to the site would be one way, with access into the site taken from the existing access point on Darley Street and the exit will be on to Tennyson Street.

“A March 2022, a survey demonstrates an extreme pressure for primary school places in Bolton. There are currently 27 primary schools in Bolton which are full or have one or more pupils in excess of capacity.

“The proposed development will form an integral part of Bolton Council’s strategy to