Hammersmith & Fulham Council has approved plans to create a state-of-the art learning and play centre for Disabled children and young people at Queen’s Manor Primary School.
As well as the new centre, the plans include rebuilding the Fulham school’s own support unit for pupils with special educational needs.
H&F Council is providing the £6million funding to make it happen.
“We want Disabled children and young people to have the best possible start in life and their families to have more support,” said Cllr Sue Fennimore, H&F Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion.
“We worked with residents to design this centre with those goals in mind. In the current financial climate it was not easy to find such a large amount of money. But through tough negotiations with developers and cutting waste in the council we have been able to make this important investment.”
The approval was granted at last night’s (14 March) meeting of the council’s Planning and Development Control Committee.
Local hub
The new centre will be run by H&F Council's Disabled Children's Service and will be open seven days a week, including evenings and weekends. It will be designed as a hub for all children and young people with disabilities – a space for children and young people to safely play, as well as a key support for parents in need of information and advice.
Plans include specialist provision for under-fives, play areas with accessible equipment, after-school clubs, health services and other support, training and meeting rooms and space for a wide range of activities.
Queen’s Manor Primary School’s own support unit for pupils with special educational needs will be rebuilt and landscaping will be carried out around the school as part of the project.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for all children at Queen’s Manor and for Disabled children and their families across the borough,” said headteacher Sonja Harrison.
“It will significantly improve the offer to all Queen’s Manor children now and in the future, and give a huge boost to H&F children with disabilities and their families.”
The plan
The approved scheme would see a new single storey children's resource centre built within Queens Manor School, and the replacement of the existing special education needs (SEN) unit.
This would require the demolition and enlarged replacement of the existing single storey extension to the listed school building, which is currently used as the primary school’s SEN unit.
The approval also sees the repair and refurbishment of the existing listed boundary wall, including a new vehicular access gate for parking, as well as new landscaping and improvements to the school grounds.
