Objection raised against plans for a new SEMH school in Staffordshire - here's why
A former office building could be turned into a specialist school providing education for up to 18 pupils aged 10 to 16 - but an objection has beenraised
Under the plans submitted to South Staffordshire Council, the new school would be located on Littleton Drive in Huntington, near Cannock.
The school will provide specialist education in a small setting for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. During the school day there will be nine school staff, or the minimum to maintain supervision ratios, this will be made up of a headteacher, five teachers, two teaching assistants and one support staff.
To minimise the impact on the local highway network a maximum of six staff vehicles will be on site at any one time and teachers will be encouraged to car share. Pupils would arrive via pre-arranged taxi transport arranged by the local authority.
There will be three pupils per taxi and each taxi will have an allocated arrival and departure slot to prevent clustering at the school. Parents will also not be able to drop-off or collect children from the site.
An objection has been raised from the neighbouring business on the industrial site, CSPC Healthcare. The company states that the site is not appropriate for educational use and raises concerns over the location, parking and noise.
The objection states: “The location of this building is on a busy industrial estate, there are HGV’s/vans/cars constantly coming up and down all day long and sometimes into the night, this does not provide an appropriate environment for a place of learning.
“Parking on Littleton Drive where the application is based from is already congested, multiple cars park on the road itself blocking off driveways to building car parks. The building planning permission relates to only has a very small car park at the front of the property as i would assume the enclosed car park at the rear will be used as outside space for the children meaning staff members and visitors will have to park on the road which as stated is already heavily congested thus leading to a possible accident.
“I am concerned about the noise level that could come from this establishment and the impact it could have on the neighbouring offices.”
It is planned that the teaching staff will arrive on the site between 8am and 8.45am, with the pupils arriving in a staggered manner between 9am and 9.15am. The school day will end at 2.30pm, with all staff leaving the premises by 3.30pm.
The design and access statement states: “The proposed change of use will provide inclusive and managed access appropriate to a small SEMH school. The Access Statement demonstrates compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and confirms that access considerations have been fully addressed.”
The application and all supporting documents can be viewed on South Staffordshire Council’s planning portal, reference number 26/00126/COU. The application is currently under consideration by planning officers.
