Fears over on-street parking amid plans for three-storey classroom block at Sheffield school to cater for 263 new pupils

The new building at Silverdale School in Bents Green forms part of a plan to provide a total of 535 new school places at King Ecgbert and Silverdale to service the south-west of the city.

The council says this is driven by a 25% increase in births between 2002 and 2012. The new block would allow the school to take on 263 more pupils.

Sheffield City Council looked at expansion at six other schools in the area but these were discounted for various reasons.

Building a new school has been ruled out because the city birth rate is predicted to drop again after 2023 but is set to remain high in this area.

The proposal, which will go before the council’s planning committee next Tuesday, has been objected to by 21 people and Sheffield Wildlife Trust.

The proposal is for a new three-storey rectangular teaching block with a raised hard surfaced social area and ramped access.The block will provide sixth form social, dining and study areas as well as additional classrooms, art rooms and computer rooms for general teaching, plus toilets and staff offices. The ‘green’ flat roof planted with sedum will have solar panels.

Many objections from neighbours focused on the impact of an increase in pupils on surrounding roads, which they say already see are already struggling to cope with a high rate of on-street parking, plus parents dropping off and picking up pupils.

Waiting restrictions proposed

Referring to a traffic assessment carried out by a firm called Vectos, the report says: “Representations highlight that a survey on a single day may not provide a sufficiently reliable picture of vehicular movements, including in varying weather conditions and at different stages in the school calendar, and residents have even carried out their own surveys which they consider to paint a graver picture of the extent of school traffic.

“Overall, the Highways Officer considers that as the school does not allow drop-offs or collections within the site, better management of arrivals and departures on the highway is required.

“It is apparent that on occasion, vehicles may park on both sides of Bents Drive, impeding passage. An increase in school numbers could worsen the situation.

“It is therefore suggested that waiting restrictions on the south-west side of Bents Drive could lead to better traffic management and eliminate risks to the safe flow of traffic.”It says these could be limited to peak drop-off and pick-up times.The report concludes: “Overall, whilst it is acknowledged that the increased capacity of the school would have some adverse impact on traffic and parking in the area and on Bents Drive in particular, it is considered that the imposition of waiting restrictions at peak times and the delivery of 10 new staff parking spaces within the school grounds can provide suitable mitigation.”

The original plan would have created a 17.8 per cent net loss of biodiversity to the wildlife habitats on the site, which is unacceptably high. The council’s biodiversity officer stepped in and the report says adjustments have been put in place to create a net gain of just under 68 per cent by planting more trees and scrub.

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