Plans have been submitted to convert a vacant office building into a new specialist education school for 50 children. 

The proposed school would provide specialist education for children aged 4-19 with autistic spectrum disorders, whose needs are not met in mainstream schools.

The site is on Yew Street, just 50 or so metres south of Stockport Pyramid. 

The applicant argues that the new school would address current and future demand for special education, improve life outcomes for prospective students, and would maintain - even enhance - local employment opportunities. 

The applicant argues that there is 'little interest' in the current office building staying on the market. They suggest that this is due to the office's 'peripheral' location, its dated design, and the lack of demand for such office space post-Covid. 

The proposed site plan for the new school, with the building facing south onto Yew Street (Image via planning document)

If the conversion was approved, fewer students would need to travel out of the borough for special education. It would start with around 50 students and 40 members of staff, with these numbers expected to increase over two or three years.

The site, it is argued, already has a suitable environment for specialist education provision, and therefore a conversion would be relatively easy. 

Classrooms, for example, could be adapted internally, and there is adequate outside space to provide the required levels of recreational space, including a small MUGA. 

The school will be registered with Ofsted.

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