Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on an application for five single storey extensions to school building

(report attached)

  Plans and photographs were displayed at the meeting.  A Members site visit had taken place earlier in the day

  Officers presented the report which sought approval of an application for extensions at Green Lane Primary Academy, Garforth LS25 to enable the size of the school to increase from a one and a half form entry to a two form entry primary school

  Members were informed that the school was popular and attracted pupils from the local area and further afield from Castleford and Wakefield.  In terms of the NPPF, particular weight was placed on the expansion of schools.  Children’s Services were of the view there was sufficient capacity in the area, however the school wished to expand

  On the level of car parking being provided, this would increase from the current 28 spaces to 45, including two disabled parking spaces and a designated delivery area

  In response to a question raised on the site visit earlier in the day, Members were informed that the school had tried to introduce a walking bus two years ago but this had not proved possible due to a lack of support from parents.  However, the school was willing to try again to introduce a walking bus and this would be conditioned

  The Panel heard from the Highway’s representative who stated the scheme was a modest expansion of 70 pupils but would lead to some inconvenience to residents through the additional parent drop off and pupils at the site.  The school had existing parking associated with the parent drop off; there was also on-street parking on Woodlands Drive to the north of the site which was associated with the nearby railway station.  A number of streets surrounding the school gave access for pedestrians and vehicles and a small element of staff parking took place on-street.  The increase to the staff parking by 50% would mitigate the current problems of long-stay on-street parking by staff members and improved internal access for servicing and deliveries would be provided.  The application was considered acceptable in view of its scale, on-street conditions, short term nature of the parent parking, accident statistics, on site improvements and travel plan.  A condition was proposed for extra TROs to be explored in the area for any issues which arose regarding staff parking/parent pick up/drop off but it was acknowledged that previous schemes had been unpopular with local residents.  If minded to grant the application, additional conditions relating to landscaping and pedestrian access points to be open/available for use at the start/end of the school day were recommended

  The Panel heard representations from Councillor Dobson who had objected to the application and who provided information which included:

·  the impact of the proposals on parking in the area and for residents to be at the centre of the scheme

·  the need for a more co-ordinated approach to the problem of  school traffic in the area

·  that possible TROs would not be sufficient to alleviate the problem

The Panel then heard from the applicant’s representative who provided

information which included:

·  the demand for school places in Garforth and the amount of families moving in the area

·  the work undertaken by the school to engage with parents to address local parking issues and the introduction of restrictive  road markings outside the school

Members questioned Officers on the highway implications, the nature

and effectiveness of the TRO, highway safety and the measures and content of the Travel Plan

The proposed layout of the extensions was considered with the view being that an improved layout which incorporated a drop off point should be explored

  As a way forward, the Panel’s Lead Officer suggested the application be deferred and delegated to Officers to enable further discussions to take place

RESOLVED – To defer and delegate the application for further discussions on the highways issues, including  the potential for a drop-off facility, TROs/off-site measures and the travel plan, between Ward Members, the School and Officers and in the event agreement could not be reached, that the application be returned to Panel for determination