Plan submitted to build world’s first Beach School in Cornwall

Ambitious plans to build the world’s first beach school in Cornwall have been submitted.

If successful, The Wave Project’s school in Hayle will be the first of its kind in the world.

It will provide a therapeutic setting for children who are struggling to engage in normal lessons and are at risk of permanent exclusion.

The application follows a public consultation in May.

Wave Project founder Joe Taylor said: “This is a huge development for our charity and the wider surf therapy movement. 

“We know that children who are struggling to engage in school need a supportive environment that enables them to learn, which is not always deliverable in a busy classroom.

“Our new Beach School has been carefully designed with the needs of these children in mind, offering them the chance to learn outside wherever possible, in an environment they find calming and supportive.

“We really hope this facility will prove to be a model for other similar schools nationally and around the world, to help to reduce the number of children who fall out of the traditional education system.”

Truro-based architects Lavigne Lonsdale are leading on the design of the facility. 

The Wave Project believes creating an intrinsic relationship between the buildings and the landscape was one of the core principles behind the design, encouraging children to engage and interact with the surrounding natural environment.

The new design and landscape proposals also look to provide suitable habitat for native plant and animal species by creating a dune-scape environment within the site.

This includes the planting of species that will help support the rare local scabious bee population. Bird and bat boxes will also be integrated into the buildings.

To view or comment on the application, click here and use the reference code PA21/09867