Walsall Council is poised to approve a significant investment next week, granting a 125-year lease of 13.7 acres of Reedswood Park woodland for the construction of a new £50 million secondary free school. Alongside the lease approval, cabinet members will also authorize a £1 million payment to the Department for Education (DfE) to initiate the project.
This development follows the DfE’s 2017 approval of a mainstream secondary free school aimed at serving Blakenall and the broader Walsall area. The Windsor Academy Trust has been appointed to operate the school, which is expected to accommodate around 1,000 students.
After extensive site evaluations, the DfE identified Reedswood Park woodland as the preferred location. However, some community members have argued that existing facilities like the vacant Sneyd Comprehensive School or the soon-to-be vacant Forest Arts Centre would be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly options. The council clarifies that DfE funding is strictly for new school builds and cannot be applied to expanding or upgrading existing sites.
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Without the DfE’s £50 million investment, the council would face the financial burden of creating additional school places from its own capital budget.
The Reedswood Park site has a layered history—it was once the location of Reedswood Colliery and later the Walsall Power Station, which was decommissioned and demolished in 1987. Subsequently, a nine-hole municipal golf course operated there until 2007.
Environmental concerns have been voiced, notably by planning agent Robin Whitehouse, who criticized the project as a “money grabbing exercise” that overlooks significant ecological damage. He highlighted the park’s importance as a habitat for bats and woodland birds.
Despite these concerns, Reedswood Park has maintained Green Flag status for three consecutive years, awarded by Keep Britain Tidy under the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The park also holds the designation of an Asset of Community Value (ACV). Although ACV status usually mandates a moratorium period allowing community bids before property disposal, this does not apply when the land is transferred for school use.
The DfE’s funding was contingent on the council transferring the site on a 125-year peppercorn lease and providing a £1 million contribution toward abnormal development costs estimated at £4.6 million.
The council’s cabinet will make their decision on Wednesday, February 11. Should planning permission for the school development fail to be granted, the lease arrangement and payment will not proceed.
Walsall Council reports that the project will not result in any negative health, wellbeing, or climate impacts despite the loss of the woodland.