THE next stage of a school’s £30,000 bid for new sporting facilities has begun.

A planning application has been submitted to enhance Dove House School Academy’s sports facilities, following on from a £30k fundraising effort.

The planning application includes a proposed extension to existing covered sports pitch to provide changing facilities, fitness room and a classroom.

The specialist secondary school is for young people with moderate learning difficulties and teachers believe the new equipment will bring a great benefit to children there.

Chris Morris, PE teacher at the school, said: “Our school fitness gym is a hugely valued resource and is used by every single pupil throughout the school, so we see this as an investment for current and future pupils.

“Thank you to the pupils and their families for supporting the school to reach our target.”

The Sutton Road school. which accommodates around 170 pupils, was featured in The Gazette in October when it held a fun run to help reach its ambitious five-figure fundraising target.

Alongside fundraising events, the school was also the beneficiaries of an annual charity cricket match held at Hartley Wintney Cricket Club in the summer and also received a £10,000 grant from St James’s Place.

The planning application read: “The project is required as a result of continuing increase in pupil numbers at the school and the need to meet the regulations for changing space set by Sport England for children and young people with special needs.

“The current changing facilities are situated too far away from the sports hall.”

A similar planning application was submitted and approved in 2014.

For more information on the plans and to comment, go to planning.basingstoke.gov.uk/online-applications and search using the reference 17/03824/FUL.

A decision is expected by January 10, 2018.