Drivers warned of main road night closures

Drivers are being warned that a major road in Staffordshire will be closed at night for 11 days as the redevelopment of an old power station site continues.

The A51 in Rugeley will shut in both directions between Wheelhouse Road and Power Station Road from 9-20 June.

The closures, between 19:00 and 06:00 BST, come after a new roundabout was installed at the site, part of which is being developed into the county's first ever all-through school, providing education from nursery age to post-16.

The next stage of roadworks will include extending paths and cycleways while a toucan crossing, with signals for both pedestrians and cyclists, will be created.

New drains and street lighting will also be installed as part of the scheme, which began in September and is due to finish in July.

Planning permission for the school was granted by Staffordshire County Council in August.

The new school will open in two stages with secondary education starting from September 2025, while nursery and reception admissions will begin in September 2026.

When full, it will have 420 primary school places, 750 secondary school places, a 52-place nursery and 200-place sixth form.

The school will be run by John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust, which runs schools across Staffordshire and Derbyshire.

Rugeley Power Station closed in 2016 and the four 117m (384ft) cooling towers were demolished in June 2021, five months after its 183m (600ft) chimney was knocked down.

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