A Hyde resident says proposals to build a classroom block overlooking his house will worsen flooding issues, block light and invade his family’s privacy.
Plans to erect a two-storey modular building in the car park of Hyde Community College by Tameside council have sparked opposition from residents, with 19 objections lodged since the plans were submitted at the end of June.
Mike Hughes, who lives on the adjacent Snowdonia Avenue with his wife and two young children, has major concerns about the project, and its impact on his and his neighbours’ homes.
“We are concerned that the elevated car park with a double or even single height temporary classroom would significantly reduce light into our houses and create zero privacy,” he said.
“Once they put the two-storey building up out there it’s actually going to be higher than our house.
“They will be able to look right into our bedrooms, we’ll have to keep our curtains closed all day.
“Nobody in the area wants the building there, it’s going to block the light and breach the privacy of residents.
“A two-storey building basically right outside, four feet from our fence is not good at all.”
Mr Hughes added that they already have a ‘significant problem’ with flooding from the car park, which he believes will only be ‘enhanced’ by more buildings.
“We have got flooding at the back of my garden and I realised it’s actually coming from the car park because there is inadequate drainage,” he said.
“It’s run off from the car park and that affects probably about ten to 12 other houses.
“With the new building it will definitely get worse because the additional run-off will go straight into the current drainage system, which is inadequate as it is.
“I had to dig quite a large sink drain and put it in the middle of the garden while we were trying to do it up just because of all the problems we’ve had so far.”
Mr Hughes says he was concerned that construction workers and machinery was already being brought onto the site and starting work on it with no planning permission yet granted.
However a Tameside council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that planning permission is being sorted along the usual timeframes and local residents have been issued with consultation letters and have until the 4 August to respond.
“In the meantime the council has commenced some site investigations and surveys to confirm the location of utilities, which is normal practice.”
An email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service shows that the council have been made aware of the drainage issues, and are investigating it as part of the ground surveys.
The design and access report submitted with the application states: “Going against the design limitations of a modular structure, we have endeavoured to provide a building that is sympathetic to the surrounding context, with the application of materials that visually align with the existing school.
“The proposed design sits comfortably within the existing car park, minimizing the impact the proposed has on the surrounding buildings.”
The proposals are part of a scheme by Tameside council to increase the intake at the secondary school from 210 pupils to 240 a year.
The project is currently rated ‘red’ due to the length of time it has taken to bring about, with work first beginning on internal alterations in August 2018.
Phase two of the work – the modular building – will contain three classrooms and two science laboratories, allowing the former construction shed to be used as an additional indoor dining space.
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Currently the existing central atrium becomes ‘overcrowded’ at lunchtimes because of the number of additional pupils enrolled at the school, officers say.
A council report states that it is intended to get the building on site in time for the start of the autumn term at the beginning of September.
However no decision on whether to give the building planning approval has yet been made by the authority.
It is expected that the project costs are also set to increase, as the existing budget is ‘not sufficient’ to cover the costs of the new five classroom science block, as well as the removal of a short term mobile unit with four classrooms, and the rest of the remodelling.
