Plans for school on ‘clearly unsafe’ road rejected

The application for the former Uni Express offices off Canal Road was refused

Plans to build a school on a busy A road have been refused after highways officers claimed anyone walking to it would be “clearly unsafe”.

Pivot Academy submitted a planning application to open a special educational needs school in Bradford with an outdoor games area next to the building.

Council officers said the location, off the A650 Canal Road, would cause “significant harm to the health outcomes” of future pupils who were already vulnerable.

Pivot Academy CEO Michael Smith said the group was not planning to appeal the decision.

'Worsen health outcomes'

He said: “We would rather spend our energy and resources in a positive way to find buildings to educate the most vulnerable pupils.”

The planned academy would have provided education for 70 pupils who have special educational needs or struggle in mainstream schools, and created 30 jobs.

The refusal decision said: “This a large principal highway that hosts large volumes of vehicular traffic through the district. It is clear that the site suffers from poor pedestrian access from surrounding highways, and would be highly dependent on car travel for access.”

“Public transport and cycle infrastructure surrounding is noted as lacking, and any pedestrian access would be clearly unsafe.”

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the application to transform the former Uni Express offices on Kings Gate was also refused by Bradford Council because of the high levels of air quality pollution.

Officers said: “It is clear that Canal Road and the land adjacent suffer from high levels of air quality pollution. Owing to the proposed highways access arrangement, it is most likely that pupils of the proposed school would access the site via taxis or private vehicle drop-offs, further exacerbating existing air quality concerns.

“It is further acknowledged that the proposed school would be for the use of individuals with pre-existing complex health needs. In this sense, it is considered the change of use would have clear potential to worsen health outcomes for an existing vulnerable population within society.”

Officers also pointed out that the office building sits in the council’s appointed Employment Zone – where business is prioritised over other uses.

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