Wetherby High: Leeds Council issues update on £25m school rebuild as leisure centre plans revealed

Plans to rebuild Wetherby High School, one of the oldest in Leeds, were first confirmed in 2021 after health and safety concerns were raised over the current state of the building.

Expected to cost around £25m, and originally given a completion date of September 2024, the council had initially proposed to fund the scheme by selling off some of the school’s land for housing development.

Now following lengthy discussions with the Government's Department for Education, who are proposing to rebuild the school as part of the Schools Rebuilding Programme, it appears the scheme could finally be set to progress.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: "As part of the rebuild project, not all of the existing land currently used by the school will be required for use as school land based on the schools Pupil Admission Numbers published on the DfE’s website.

"As a Trust, any decision to release land from educational use would have to be made by Wetherby High School.

"There are ongoing discussions between the school, ward members, the DfE and the council as to what potential uses any surplus land could be considered for, of which a potential relocation of the leisure centre has been discussed, however nothing is confirmed as yet.

"The outcome of any discussions will be subject to agreement between all parties and the outcome of any feasibility studies at a future point in time."

The current main building at Wetherby High School was built in the 1960s and is dominated by a main tower block, linked to the school hall by two footbridges.

It is hoped to rebuild the school into a 900-place secondary school. Proposals also include reducing the school land area, currently 18.3 acres, to 10.5 acres.

Councillor Alan Lamb, of the Wetherby ward, remains strong supporter of the scheme and is hopeful a timeline for delivery will be confirmed in due course.

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Posting to social media, he said: "The project for the rebuild is progressing well and I’m pleased that the DfE have agreed to give me updates every six weeks going forwards that I can share with the local community.

"The next update will include a timeline for delivery and they also anticipate being able to share initial design proposals soon."

The DfE's involvement dictates that there is no longer a need to sell off any land for housing to fund the project.