Concerns expansion will lead to more parking near school

Plans to expand a school have raised concerns about the number of parents parking their cars in nearby roads.
Northgate Primary SchoolNorthgate Primary School
Northgate Primary School

In an attempt to accommodate the rising number of children in the area, West Sussex County Council plans to add one single-storey and one two-storey block to Northgate Primary.

This would give the school seven new classrooms, enabling it to raise its intake from two classes per year to three, increasing pupil numbers from 410 to 630.

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The work would also include a bigger play area and the see the car park reconfigured to add 13 spaces for the new staff members.

Residents living Hollybush Road, Green Lane and Barnfield Road have for years complained about the volume of cars which clog up their roads while parents drop off and pick up their children.

The news that even more cars could soon join the throng was not welcomed.

Commenting on the online application, Joseph Herbert acknowledged the need for more classrooms but said: “The roads are narrow, are already congested by vehicles who some park there and work in the town.

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“If this plan goes ahead there needs to be a ‘one way’ system through the school grounds to drop/pick up children.”

Mr and Mrs Lelliott pointed out that the 13 cars owned by residents in Green Lane already had to share just seven spaces even before adding the parents who parked in the area.

The couple, who said they often had to park five minutes away from their home, asked the county council if the parking area could be expanded.

Councillor Geraint Thomas (Lab, Northgate), who used to be a governor at the school, said he would like to see more car parking included in the plan, saying the amount offered in the application “seems to be very restrictive”.

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Mr Thomas said: “I know that there have been complaints from residents about members of staff parking in Green Lane/Hollybush Road which compounds the current congestion in these roads – especially Hollybush.

“The situation is compounded by the dental practice very close to the school entrance. This practice deals with a large number of older and less mobile patients who expect to park or be dropped off very close to the dental practice.”

Headteacher Georgina Beaven said: “The pressure on school places in the Crawley area is immense and Northgate is trying hard to work with the local authority to meet the basic needs of the community.

“We are aware that local residents will have concerns about the potential impact on traffic in the surrounding streets at the beginning and end of the school day.

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“We have always encouraged our families to use sustainable modes of travel to and from school and we have ample cycle and scooter storage to promote car-free journeys.”

Mrs Beaven said the school had been working with the Living Streets charity since September 2016 to champion the WOW initiative, which encourages children and families to Walk Once a Week to school.

To view the planning application, log on to www.westsussex.gov.uk and search for WSCC/001/17/CR.

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