Sheffield school's huge expansion approved despite congestion fears

A £4.9 million expansion will see Ecclesall Infant School merge with the junior school to form a new primary school, increasing the capacity on site from 180 pupils to 630 over four years.

Councillors approved the proposals at Tuesday's planning meeting, but only after a mammoth two-and-a-half-hour debate.

Sheffield Council argued the expansion was needed to meet the growing demand for places within the south-west of the city, due to an increased birth rate and many young families moving to the area. It also sought to address 'operative issues' created by the high capacity of the junior school site.

Critics had voiced fears it would increase congestion on already busy roads in the area and could endanger the safety of children crossing between parked cars, but the council insisted it had listened to their concerns and modified the plans accordingly.

Councillor Jackie Drayton, cabinet member for children, said: "This expansion will ensure that all children in the area will be able to attend their local primary school, and is part of our programme to keep up with expanding birth rates in the north-east and south-west of the city.

"This is an opportunity to create a modern school with great facilities, including three libraries, a computer suite, new rooms for small group work and a separate school kitchen for food technology lesson.

"Working in partnership with Balfour Beatty and Eccesall Infants and Juniors, we have a wonderful opportunity to build on the excellent reputation of both these schools to create a beacon of excellence at the heart of this community which will make a real difference to the life chances of many children and their families.”

The infant school will increase its capacity from 60 to 90 pupils per year group, and the site on Fulwood Road will also accommodate the existing 360-place junior school, which will close, creating a new primary school.

A new 120-place junior school will be created on the old Ecclesall Junior School site by the nearby Clifford School.

The infant school site will be extended to cover two-and-a-half times its current floor space, a multi-use games area will be built and extra parking spaces will be created.

A detailed travel plan must be approved before the extensions can be used.

There will be a one-way system within the school grounds, and 10 existing parking spaces at High Storrs School will be available for parents with children attending the new Ecclesall Primary School.

Liberal Democrat councillor Shaffaq Mohammed had conducted a survey which he claimed showed two-thirds of residents in the area opposed the expansion plans.

He called for the impact on congestion to be monitored, so changes could be made if required, and for a traffic plan to be drawn up for the wider area.

In the short-term, he said staggered starting and finishing times for schools in the region may help.

"There's a long-term challenge for the city to improve its schools so parents don't feel they have to drive to this part of the city to get their children into good schools," he added.