Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet has approved significant plans to redevelop the Pears Centre in Exhall.
The Pears Centre development will create new facilities and services to better support children, young people and families in the north of the county.
Under the proposals, four currently vacant bungalows on the site will be refurbished to create modern family time rooms. These spaces will provide safe, welcoming environments where children in care can spend meaningful time with their families, supported by onsite professionals. The redevelopment also includes flexible training and office areas designed to enhance service delivery and strengthen multi-agency collaboration.
A new registered alternative provision facility will also be created at the Pears Centre, giving permanently excluded pupils a suitable and supportive education offer closer to home. By bringing family time services, youth activities, alternative provision and wider support services together on one site, the redevelopment aims to create a more integrated and seamless experience for children and young people. The flexible spaces will support a wide range of activities, including one-to-one support, parenting programmes, youth sessions and more helping families to build relationships, develop skills and achieve improved outcomes.
The project will establish a welcoming, accessible base in the north of the county, greatly reducing the need for children, parents, carers and staff to travel to other locations for support. The new training centre will also provide a modern home for the Youth Justice Team, enabling its current base at the Bloxham Centre to be freed up for future use.
Cabinet have approved recommendations to invest £2.149 million to the Capital Programme to deliver the scheme, with a further £0.460 million allocated specifically for developing the new alternative provision. Solar panels are also proposed for three of the buildings to reduce running costs and improve efficiency.
Talking about the proposals, Leader of Warwickshire County Council and Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, Councillor George Finch said: “This investment is a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering the right support for children and families closer to where they live. Transforming these unused buildings into modern, flexible spaces will help us bring services together, reduce travel, and create a welcoming environment where children and young people can thrive. This is an important project for the north of the county, and I’m pleased to see it progressing to the next stage.”
The proposal will now be presented to Full Council in March 2026, in line with governance requirements for Capital Investment Fund allocations and addition to the Capital Programme.
For more information on how Warwickshire County Council is working to create a Child Friendly Warwickshire, visit: https://www.childfriendlywarwickshire.co.uk/
A copy of the cabinet report for this item can be found here: Addition to the Capital Programme - Pears Centre Refurbishment