The public have days left to give their thoughts on council plans to demolish parts of an old college and turn the site into a school for children with special educational needs.
Hampshire County Council is holding a pre-planning consultation on plans to demolish College House, off Shepherd’s Lane in Compton, near Winchester.
College House is no longer leased from the county council by Eastleigh College and is located close to the entrance of Shepherd’s Down special school.
The consultation opened on March 14 and will close on April 14.
Hampshire County Council then wants to incorporate an ancillary building, known as The Hive, into Shepherds Down Special School.
College House and The Hive have been empty since Eastleigh College vacated the site, and it was agreed that the lease should be returned to Hampshire County Council as the landowners.
After investigations, county council officers designed a plan to refurbish the site for special educational needs teaching capacity for Year R, Year 1, and Year 2.
The proposal includes three classrooms, a therapy room, a sensory room, a small group room, and staff offices. Additionally, it will feature an outdoor teaching and play area for pupils.
As part of these proposals, the remainder of the College House building will be demolished, subject to a separate permitted development application.
According to the council, the demolition of College House will provide land to expand the staff car parking, plus enable pupil drop-off bays.
Access to Shepherds Down Special School from The Hive building will be improved, providing space for an additional 12 staff car parking bays, including two accessible spaces, two minibus bays, and seven drop-off spaces.
The council stated that demolition is necessary, as a feasibility study revealed that refurbishing College House would be more expensive due to the building’s age and internal layout.
If approved on a future decision day, College House would be demolished during the winter of 2025/26.
Renovation work on The Hive is expected to begin in the spring or summer of 2026, with completion aimed for September 2026, when it will become operational.
A planning application is expected to be submitted by the end of April 2025.
If you’d like to share your thoughts, please send your comments to strategicplanningunit@hants.gov.uk by Monday, April 14, 2025.
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