Plans for a new primary school in Cheshire have been given the green light, but not without some reservations regarding parking concerns. The proposed school, designed to accommodate 210 children and equipped with additional resources for pupils with special educational needs, will be constructed on unused land off Richard Gibson Road in Nantwich.
During the Cheshire East southern planning committee meeting, planning officer Gareth Taylerson clarified: "As part of the approval for the Kingsley Fields [1,000 homes] application, this was given outline consent for the location of the school in this location, so, in essence, the principle's been established. It's the details we have to look at now."
Councillor Janet Clowes (Con) from Wybunbury expressed apprehension about the allocated parking, fearing it might fall short of requirements. Addressing this concern, highways officer Andrew Goligher explained that the provision had been calculated based on the number of staff, with the Cheshire East standard being one space per staff member plus three spaces for visitors.
However, Cllr Clowes raised valid points, saying: "We've got 26 places plus two disabled, you're going to have a lot of staff there and a lot of carer staff there. Special needs provision will attract children from further afield. Have we actually calculated those car parking spaces correctly?
"You could have as many as four additional members of staff in a class of SEN children, so I would ask that we look into that and clarify it because we could end up with quite a lot of difficulty on site."
Councillor Allen Gage (Con) from Willaston echoed similar concerns, noting that he had read about an expected intake of 25 children with special needs at the school. He raised the issue of potential overcrowding due to the need for up to three minibuses to transport these students and remarked, "It looks a bit cramped on the site."
In response, it was clarified that the school primarily serves as a primary school with SEN provisions, and no specific parking standards apply in this context. Cllr Clowes suggested approving the application but requested that her concerns about parking be officially recorded in the meeting minutes.
This proposal was seconded by Cllr Anthony Critchley (Lab) from Crewe, leading to the approval of the scheme. Seven councillors voted in favor, with one abstaining.
- This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speeds up the MEN's editorial research. A Manchester Evening News editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to newsdesk@men-news.co.uk
- You may notice the above message on a small number of Manchester Evening News articles. We like to innovate and this is part of a trial to look at whether AI can help speed up the publishing process, We will always declare where this happens.
