Local Land Development Concern

News

September 2019

13th September 2019

Local Land Development Concern

The Governing Board of St Bridget's C of E Primary School has serious concerns about the possible development of the Glebe land opposite the Church on Rectory Lane, which is managed by the Diocese of Chester (and not by St Bridget's Church, who oppose the development).  This concern arises both in regard to the short and longer-term:

 

 ·       Short-term: The disruption, pollution and increased pedestrian and cyclist risk caused by heavy goods vehicles on the approach roads to the school during any construction phase.

 

 ·       Medium & Long-term: Increased and unsustainable pressure on the already heavily congested roads around the school, impacting on the safety of our children travelling to and from school and associated challenges on parking.

 

 For a number of years, and particularly over the last year, the school has led a road awareness campaign in the surrounding area. This has included a number of initiatives such as providing parents with a suggested one-way route when travelling to / from school and suggesting parents use nearby local car parks at the Ring O Bells and Hickorys Restaurant. We have also looked to encourage children to cycle and scoot to and from school through the provision of additional racks for personal transportation storage.

Parents are encouraged to park sensibly in the local area, but the sheer volume of traffic can often make the narrow local roads nearly impassable at key times and very dangerous for the large number of children and adults.  As a result, the school receives regular complaints from local home owners and requests for help to solve this problem.

 

The context of St. Bridget's is that it is a larger than average primary school which serves 440 children, providing before and after school care for up to 30 pupils each day.  It is built on a small and restricted site that has no parking for any parents and insufficient parking for the 60 staff that attend each day. The demand for parking and use of the local lanes is extremely high and far exceeds capacity at key times.

 

 Even before there is any further development in the local area, the Governors are already extremely concerned about the road congestion that already exists.  The safety of our children and families travelling to and from school is an on-going priority for the school.  As a Governing Body, our remit is to provide strategic leadership that leads to assurance for the educational and financial performance of our school.  Therefore if you have questions about the proposed sale then please contact The Venerable Mike Gilbertson, Archdeacon of Chester, Church House, 5500 Daresbury Park, Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4GE.  In addition, our MP Margaret Greenwood has invited anyone with concerns about the development to contact her on margaret.greenwood.mp@parliament.uk.