Watercliffe Meadow Primary School: Classroom set to be built on popular Sheffield school playground
A new school building looks set to be built on a playground at one of Sheffield’s most popular schools.
Watercliffe Meadow Primary School, on Boynton Road, Shirecliffe, has appeared on lists of oversubscribed schools in the past, and now plans to build a new classroom on an area where pupils have previously enjoyed playtime games.
It has not been revealed how many new spaces the new building would create.
Sheffield Council’s planning department has now issued a certificate of lawful development for the scheme, which moves it closer to progressing, and an official report drawn up by the authority explains its sport and leisure officer says that the playground is not classified as a playing field according the the law.
But they warn that the school will need to notify and show support from the Department for Education because the proposal would represent a playing field loss under their separate definition, although that is not relevant the the planning application.
The planning application states: “The application site is set amongst housing, within the Shirecliffe area of the city. It is accessed from Boynton Road which runs to the north and south of the school, though the northern arm represents the primary access point.”
It adds: “The single-storey building is intended to provide a classroom and associated spaces to provide breakout, store, calm, kitchen and WC areas.”
It would have two sets of double doors opening out onto an outside play area, and there would be solar panels on the roof.
It adds the existing, main school building, is a modern construction, built within the last 20 years.
The school site currently has two hard surface play areas and a grassed sports area, which includes an athletics field and a surfaced running track.
The Star has contacted the school about the plans.