Council planners have given the go-ahead for a new specialist school to be built at a local business park.

Rushcliffe Specialist Schools (Mickleover) Ltd has been granted planning permission for the new facility at Abbey Park in Stoneleigh by Warwick District Council.

Plans signed off this month state the Stareton Lane school will cater for pupils "who have Education, Health and Care Plans identifying an autism spectrum as their primary diagnosis".

The application was initially put forward last year, with Rushcliffe saying it wanted to open in 2026 and take on 15 pupils. The total number is intended to rise to 110 eventually.

Signing off on the application, a council report said: "The loss of this employment land is considered acceptable in this instance because it has been adequately demonstrated that the use of the land for its allocated employment use is not viable.

"The general principle of the proposed use is therefore considered acceptable.

"Moreover, the proposed use as a specialist school would support a relatively high number of jobs, and so there would be a economic benefit attached to the proposed use.

"In addition to this, the provision of a new specialist school would provide a social benefit which weighs in favour of the application."

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Rushcliffe Specialist Schools opened its first purpose built day school (High Grange School, Mickleover) in 2011.

The site in Stoneleigh is expected to have 183 staff when it is full.

"The open nature of the site and surroundings will provide the settled and quiet surroundings that are necessary," the application said. 

"It allows large outdoor spaces to be readily accessible to maximise the children's opportunities for outdoor social and learning activities. 

"The site will help the School minimise any negative environmental impact and allow good use of the site's micro-climate and biodiversity with efficient use of energy and resources ensuring the needs of disabled people are not compromised."

The site was earmarked for office space and forms part of a major application for a new business park which was approved in 2022.

The site has permission for seven large office blocks, but only three of which have so far been constructed.

A supporting report submitted with the application states "despite extensive marketing" "the early phases of the consented scheme proved difficult to let".

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See the full application here.