Bishop's Cleeve school plans deferred due to traffic dangers

Local residents have objected over road safety and parking concerns

New school plans have been deferred after concerns a lack of a drop-off point would cause "parking chaos".

Gloucestershire County Council wants to build a new primary school and nursery in Bishop's Cleeve .

The school would take almost 700 children but local residents have concerns the plans are "ill-conceived" and would be "dangerous" to pupils.

Some 19 local residents have objected over road safety and parking concerns.

They say a lack of drop-off areas would force parents to use nearby housing estates to park,the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

'Unrealistic'

Objectors said the plans would "cause chaos on the A435" and "putting a school on a busy bypass is surely a recipe for disaster".

Speaking at a planning committee meeting on 7 July, Bishop's Cleeve parish council chairman Wendy Hopkins said a new school is needed but the current plans are unrealistic.

"There is no provision on site for drop-off and collection of children travelling to school by car," she said.

"This will inevitably lead to illegal parking in nearby streets and directly on the A435 itself.

"The lack of provision for safe drop-off and collection for primary-aged children, children aged four and 12 years is completely unrealistic."

She called on the committee to defer the plans to explore the inclusion of a drop-off point.

Green credentials

Lisa Somervell represented Gloucestershire Learning Alliance at the meeting.

She is part of the team delivering the new school and spoke in favour of the proposals.

"The new school will take the lead on climate and sustainability issues, the children will understand that to be a pupil at Greenacres is to be part of something great," she said at the meeting.

"We are delighted that the building will have such impeccable green credentials."

Gloucestershire County Council education department officer Gareth Vine also spoke in favour of the scheme and of the need for more school places in the area.

He said the existing primary schools in Bishop's Cleeve could not be expanded to meet the housing growth and a new school would be needed.