PLANS for a new 30-pupil special educational needs (SEN) school on the outskirts of Taunton have been submitted.

Spaghetti Bridge Ltd, which runs Silver Bridge School in the town, has applied to Somerset Council for permission to change the use of Rumwell Hall, at Rumwell Manor, for education purposes.

The plans also outline proposed new fencing for the site, which is off the A38 just outside Taunton.

A covering letter from planning consultant Alder King, on behalf of Spaghetti Bridge, said “no internal or external works are being proposed to the building itself”, a former Georgian manor house.

“The applicant is a well-respected and successful education provider for children and young people that have special educational needs,” it went on.

“It operates several schools, including Silver Bridge School, which is located in Taunton town centre.

“The proposed school, the subject of this application, will essentially operate as a second campus for Silver Bridge School, providing education for approximately 30 children aged six to 19 with special educational needs.”

Spaghetti Bridge currently run Silver Bridge School in Taunton. Picture: Google

While both the building and the site are set to be unchanged, the application includes plans for some 1.8 metre-high fencing to “make the site secure and safe for the children”.

It also said the proposed use of the site would “not result in any intensification of the use of the site when compared with the existing position”.

Rumwell Hall was previously a business hub, with offices and conference space, as well as residential properties, as well as being a wedding venue and hotel.

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Around 20 staff would be on site from Monday to Friday, largely between 8am and 5.30pm, the plans said, with classes usually made up of between five and six children.

The move would also provide much-needed SEN places in the area, the application said, without which a “greater number of children from the local area will need to be sent out of area to receive the education they require”.

Somerset Council will now consider the plans. For more details, and to comment on the scheme, log on to somerset.gov.uk and search application reference 05/24/0023.