Greenbank High School Rebuild: New Building Due Autumn 2028

Greenbank High School in Birkdale would be knocked down and replaced with a single new building under plans Sefton Council’s planning officers say should be approved. The Planning Committee decides on Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 6.30pm in Bootle Town Hall (Sefton Council agenda).

The school would stay open throughout. Pupils would move into the new building in autumn 2028, and the last of the works would finish in autumn 2029. Those target dates come from the school and its contractor, and depend on permission being granted (Greenbank High School, new school building consultation).

Who is paying and building it

The rebuild is part of the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme, which prioritises schools by the condition of their buildings. The department appointed BAM Construction as contractor, and BAM is the applicant. The application reference is DC/2026/00568.

The officers’ report says the current buildings date from the 1960s and 1970s and are “coming towards the end of their life” (Planning Committee report, DC/2026/00568).

Greenbank is a girls’ academy for ages 11 to 16. The government’s schools register lists 1,025 pupils against a capacity of 1,030 (Get Information about Schools). The new school keeps the same capacity, operating as a seven-form entry school.

What would be built

The plans include:

• an L-shaped building of one, two and three storeys, on a much smaller footprint than today’s buildings
• a new sports hall and a multi-use games area for tennis and netball
• a reading garden, a habitat garden and an outdoor courtyard
• roof solar panels, green roofs and heat recovery, because the department requires new schools to be net zero carbon in use
• a car park of 110 spaces, including five accessible bays, five coach bays and ten electric vehicle charging points, with ten more ready for later

The existing all-weather pitch stays. About 0.67 hectares of playing field would be lost, and Sport England has not objected because the new sports hall and games area replace it.

How the school stays open during the works

The work runs in four phases:

1. A contractor’s compound and a temporary two-storey teaching block go in, with a temporary construction entrance off Waterloo Road.
2. Part of the southern buildings is demolished and building work starts.
3. The new school goes up while pupils use the remaining old buildings and the temporary block.
4. Pupils move in, the old buildings and the temporary block are removed, and the car park and landscaping are finished.

The school and BAM give these target dates:

What changes on Waterloo Road and Hastings Road

This is the part neighbours will notice. The report sets out:

• a temporary construction entrance on Waterloo Road, next to the existing pedestrian path, closed and returned to normal once work ends
• the Waterloo Road zebra crossing moved further north, to keep pedestrians clear of site lorries
• the Hastings Road entrance closed during the final phase, under a temporary traffic order, with staff and visitors using Waterloo Road instead
• 66 temporary staff parking spaces beside the temporary teaching block during that phase
• everyone arriving on foot or by bike using the Waterloo Road entrance while Hastings Road is shut, with new street lighting required on that path
• lorry movements during peak demolition held to set delivery windows, to avoid adding to school rush-hour traffic on the A565

Once finished, cars would again enter from Hastings Road, with a one-way route through the car park.

Objections and outstanding points

Few people have objected. One resident objected that the zebra crossing is not going back to its original place afterwards. Another representation supported the new school but raised noise and views from the neighbouring golf clubhouse and first tee.

The report accepts some “low level” harm to the setting of the Royal Birkdale Golf Club clubhouse, which the council treats as a non-designated heritage asset. It says the building’s position was constrained by keeping the school open and by Sport England’s pitch requirements. Ten trees of medium and low value would be felled.

Two consultations were still open when the report was written:

• the Highways Manager has not yet commented on a revised entrance layout, set back so a waiting coach does not block the zebra crossing
• Natural England has been sent updated information

Both responses will be reported to councillors as late representations.

What it means for you

• If your daughter is at Greenbank, lessons carry on through the works, with a move into the new building planned for autumn 2028.
• If you live on Waterloo Road or Hastings Road, expect a new construction entrance, a moved zebra crossing and, in the final phase, the Hastings Road entrance closed.
• If you use the school’s sports facilities in the evening, community use of the new facilities would be allowed from 5pm to 10pm on term-time weekdays, and 8am to 10pm at weekends and in school holidays.
• More Sefton planning decisions are on our Southport planning news page.

The same committee also decides a Lidl and M&S scheme off the Formby Bypass. We will report the outcome of both.

Frequently asked questions

Will Greenbank High School close during the rebuild?

No. The work is phased so the school stays open, using the remaining old buildings and a temporary two-storey teaching block until the new building is ready.

When will the new Greenbank High School open?

The school and BAM Construction target autumn 2028 for the new building, with all works finished in autumn 2029. Those are planned dates, not conditions of any permission.

Will the school take more pupils?

No. The report and the school both say capacity stays the same.

Sources

• Sefton Council, Planning Committee report on DC/2026/00568, 16 September 2026, for the proposal, applicant, phasing, highway changes, parking, sports provision, community use hours, trees, heritage assessment, representations and outstanding consultations.
• Sefton Council, Planning Committee agenda, Wednesday 16 September 2026, for the meeting date, time and venue.
• Greenbank High School, new school building consultation page and its consultation boards, for the School Rebuilding Programme, BAM’s appointment, the seven-form entry and the target construction dates.
• Get Information about Schools, Greenbank High School (URN 137604), for pupil numbers, capacity, age range and school type.