Willows Primary School Expansion Proposals

Results updated 8 Jun 2022

Complete Proposal

Local Authority Proposal for Prescribed Alterations (expansion) in accordance with The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013

These Regulations set out the procedure that must be followed by LAs where the physical expansion of a school is proposed.

Stage 1

Informal consultation with interested parties. Whilst Stage 1 is not prescribed, there is a strong expectation that schools and LAs will consult interested parties when developing the proposal prior to publication, as part of their duty under public law to act rationally and take into account all relevant considerations.

Stage 2

The publication of a statutory notice which begins Stage 3

Stage 3

The representation period, which must last for 4 weeks.

Stage 4

The final stage is Determination by Trafford’s Executive.

The Full Proposal

Trafford Council (The Local Authority (LA)) proposes the expansion of:

Willows Primary School (3582012)

Victoria Road

Timperley

Altrincham

WA15 6PP

from a 1.5 form entry (45 pupils per cohort) to a 2 form entry (60 pupils per cohort) primary school with effect from 1 September 2023. Willows Primary School is a Community School.

The publication of this full proposal represents Stage 2 of the statutory process that must be followed when the Local Authority proposes the physical expansion of a school.

Objectives

The Local Authority has a duty, set out in the Education Act 1996, to ensure sufficient school places for children who live within its area. Trafford has seen a significant increase in the number of children resident in the area overall and in particular in the Timperley area.

Need or demand for additional places

Willows Primary School is located within the Altrincham planning area which covers all WA14 and WA15 postcodes in Trafford. Although the population projections for the area are relatively static when considering future reception cohorts, there is a significant impact from inbound migration in upper year groups, particularly with families who move into the area to access the selective education system. As a result, every school in the Altrincham planning area is at or over its published capacity in Years 4, 5 and 6. To accommodate new residents, an additional 15 children have been admitted to Year 5 and an additional 16 pupils admitted to Year 6 at Willows Primary School. This increased the number of pupils on roll in Year 5 from 45 to 60 and to 61 in Year 6.

All schools must have a published admission number (PAN). The PAN is set following a net capacity assessment of the school. This assessment considers the number of workspaces and calculates the indicated admission number for the school. The PAN is then set in line with the assessment calculation to reflect the number of pupils the school can accommodate in each year group. The total PAN for the current Year 6 cohort in Altrincham schools is 965. There are currently 1022 pupils on roll in Year 6 classes in Altrincham.

An additional 130 pupils are expected from new housing developments in the Altrincham area within next 5 years. In order to secure high quality sufficient provision for current and future families in the Altrincham area, the LA proposes the expansion of Willows Primary School.

Consultation

The LA first initiated informal consultation (Stage 1 of the statutory process) with the School. The School joined with council officers to consider submissions from 3 contractors before appointing Conlon Construction Ltd. and their associated architects, Bowker Sadler Architects. A series of meetings were held to allow the School to participate in developing the proposal alongside Council Officers and the appointed Design and Build Contractor. On 16 March 2022, the informal consultation process was extended to parents, staff, and residents. These stakeholders were invited to the School on Wednesday 16 March 2022 to look at, and comment on, the proposed plans. Comments received and responses provided can be viewed on Trafford Council's Citizen Space - Willows Expansion Proposal

A planning application was submitted on 4 April 2022 (application number 107718/FUL/22) and validated on 11 April. The submission of the planning application extended the consultation process further into the community by including the usual Town and Country Planning consultation requirements. Full details, including the School’s travel plan, can be viewed on Trafford’s Website Willows Primary School Expansion Proposal

School Capacity

The Net Capacity of the School (at 1 May 2022) is 345 (315 plus bulge class of 30). The current published admission number for Willows Primary School is 45. This allows for a maximum number of pupils on roll of 315. The anticipated number of pupils on roll at Willows Primary School from September 2022 is 345. This includes the additional children in Years 5 and 6. It is expected that the School will reach the maximum of 420 pupils by September 2023.

Alteration description

Erection of two-storey extension linked by a single storey corridor forming 4 additional classrooms, a plant room, 2 breakout spaces, 6 washrooms, a cleaners room, an intervention room and staircase. Erection of a single storey studio extension to the main hall, the reconfiguration of an existing playground, the creation of additional staff car park, amendments to the existing car park and the relocation of 2 canopies and cabin building.

Project costs

On 27 September 2021 Trafford’s Executive Committee agreed £3m basic need funding to take Willows Primary School from 1.5 FE to 2FE.

Education Standards

In October 2014 the school was judged to be good by Ofsted Inspectors. In November 2018 Ofsted confirmed that the School continues to be good.

Extended services

The proposed expansion will not affect the provision of the School’s extended services.

Travel and Accessibility

The School is centrally located and benefits from being highly accessible on foot with the existing pedestrian infrastructure providing access to a wide residential catchment.

The School will be required to update its Travel Plan which is designed to reduce car journeys and promote active travel.

The School is well located to encourage journeys by bus for staff via a number of services available in the immediate vicinity of the site and is accessible by cycle, due to its proximity to existing local and national cycle routes

The School has conducted a survey with the children to identify how they travel to school. 70% of the children generally arrive at school on foot, bike or scooter. The School will regularly monitor the situation and aim to work to increase this number further

The School is also being considered for inclusion in Trafford’s School Street Scheme, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This would improve accessibility for pedestrians approaching the school and residents adjacent to the school.

The School regularly reminds parents about parking and has contacted the Road Safety Team at the Council regarding parking enforcement. The Road Safety Team have visited School at different times of the day/week to enforce good practice. A new staff carpark is proposed at the end of Victoria Road to relieve the traffic pressure at the existing car park entrance. the existing carpark will be available to be used by visitors to school

Implementation

The proposal will be implemented from 1 September 2023.

Objections and comments

Within four weeks from the date of the publication of these proposals (9 June 2022), any person may object to or make comments on the proposal by emailing school.admissions@trafford.gov.uk or by sending them to:

School Admissions Service Manager,

Waterside House

Waterside,

Sale,

M33 7ZF

All comments must be received by 7 July 2022.

Willows Primary School Expansion Consultation Comments and Responses

On Wednesday 16^th March 2022 stakeholders were invited to an informal consultation event at the school. They were shown proposed plans and invited to comment, the same plans were then available to view online via the Council’s Citizen Space Consultation Hub from Thursday 17^th March 2022. The informal consultation then closed on Wednesday 23rd March 2022.

Summary;

54 people attended the consultation event

36 people commented on the expansion

35 people completed the online consultation form of which:

21 in favour

8 not in favour

6 not sure

Number of comments regarding various aspects of the proposals.

19 Traffic, congestion and parking

12 Building design

1 Programme

12 Pupil numbers & education

4 Construction

3 New facilities and benefits

1 Cycling

4 MUGA and external areas

2 Sustainable features

All written comments received by the closing date and responses (in italics) from the education, school and design team present at the consultation follow below;

Comment 1

We are writing to you to express our concerns regarding the expansion of the Willows Primary School.

We live on the perimeter of the school field and our garden faces Henry's garden. I feel it is important for you to know that the Willows is a very special school to me as my brother and I attended the school as well as our boys, **** and ***** *******. We have loved living near the school and have never had concerns about the various expansions over the years as well as the installation of the astro turf.

We both feel it is very important for children to be able to attend a school within walking distance to ensure that we all play our part in looking after the environment.

Our concerns are;

There are spaces for children in other primary schools within a 2 mile radius
Primary schools in Timperley are accepting children from outside catchment and borough to help keep pupil numbers at PAN, and therefore, families are driving their children to school in cars causing extra pollution
As the birth rate continues to fall there will be an enormous strain on budgets for schools unless they accept children from out of catchment and therefore actively encourage travel by road transport

Trafford Council has a duty to provide school places for every child resident within the borough. This duty has been met by expanding a number of Primary Schools across the borough to meet local demand. Altrincham and Sale experience the greatest demand within Trafford, therefore, Trafford Council are now publishing a proposal for the physical expansion of Willows Primary School to move the admission number from 45 (1.5 forms of entry) to 60 (2 forms of entry).

Although the population projections are relatively static when considering future reception cohorts, there is a significant impact from inbound migration in upper year groups, particularly with families who move into the area to access the selective education system.

The requirement for a two storey building is explained by stating that you don't want to use up green spaces, what about traffic pollution to the already terribly grid locked roads?
The two storey building looks like it will be erected out of brick and black metal, this will be a very suppresive view from our houses along Grove Lane, Mossgrove Road and Victoria Avenue

There have been no new housing developments within the Willows catchment so why the need for higher class sizes for children in catchment.

The Willows has already shown that it has the capacity to have flexibility to increase teaching areas if there is a bulge in a year group
Children starting secondary schools that live in Timperley are having to travel out of the borough, my cousins son lives in Timperley and has been told he has got to go to Stretford for his secondary school
Surely Trafford should focus attention and funding on ensuring there are enough secondary places for our children that we have in our primary schools in Timperley

An additional 130 pupils in total are expected from new housing developments in the Altrincham area within next 5 years which equates to an additional 0.62 FE.

There is also a demand for primary school spaces for local residents.

I worry for the residents of Victoria Avenue which is a lovely quiet culdesac, it just does not seem fitting for them to be overpowered by a two storey building and to have to cope with the extra traffic that over 100 extra children will create
We all know how inconsiderate families with cars can be, as in schools we all have to deal with regular complaints from neighbours, this will cause alot of concern for The Willows Community, has this been considered at all?

Although we appreciate, the current school is single storey, please note that there is limited space available on site to accommodate the demand for additional school places. If the expansion was limited to a single storey solution, the children would lose almost twice as much external recreation area. Recreation areas are important for the children’s’ wellbeing as well as helping them burn off excess extra energy before returning to class (resulting in more focused concentration for learning).

At the time of the public consultation, the scheme was still in development; 3Ds of the scheme in progress were provided for discussion purposes. Studies have been carried out to investigate various elevation material options within the limitations of the construction budget. In summary, the metal panels were deemed the most appropriate on this occasion.

The closest part of the new build is circa 44m from the boundary; this is well within the privacy distances required adjacent to habitable rooms/blank elevations. It is also worth noting that in this case the nearest house is a further 30m from this boundary line.

Part of the application process includes a traffic report and traffic plan. The findings from this will both be considered and implemented where possible to minimise the potential disruption caused by extra pupils who will be attending the school. The school will be required to update their Travel Plan which is designed to reduce car journeys and promote active travel.

The building will include three new classrooms but one existing classroom will be used for staff, another will change its use back to an ICT suite so you are actually only gaining one new classroom, The Willows has had an enourmous amount of development already and has beautiful facilities

The new build development will comprise of a two storey extension incorporating 4no. new classrooms, group teaching space together with ancillary areas. This will facilitate a re-organisation of two existing classrooms to reinstate an ICT suite, add a new staff work space and an intervention room. There will be a net gain of 3 classrooms and reinstatement of ICT suite which the School require to sustain 2FE throughout the School.

Thank you for taking the time to read our concerns, we look forward to your response to the points we have raised.

Comment 2

It is with a great deal of worry that I write to you to let you know how concerned we are about these plans to extend the Willows primary school and to erect a 2 storey building which will be in front of our home on Victoria road.

The school has large grounds and we are concerned about the need to make the extension 2 storeys? We worry it would vastly alter ours and other residents’ visual amenity from our homes erecting an unusually large and out of character 2 storey building on the school grounds.

As for what the proposed new building will look like, the samples provided on the design sheet do not seem sympathetic to the rest of the school, the proposed grey metal cladding looks rather suppressive and not in-keeping with the natural landscape of Victoria road. It appears that little consideration has been taken as to what this proposed building will look like from the outside. Other local primary schools who have built 2 storey extensions have clad them with wood (Navigation and Broadheath) which seem to blend in better with the environment, especially that of the Willows. We worry too about loss of privacy if this 2 storey building is to be erected.

We are also concerned what this once small, green, and quiet school (and road) will feel like once the extension has been completed, not to mention the disruption whilst it is being built. The school has already seen significant expansion in recent years and the disruption on this no-through road then was awful.

The closest part of the new build is circa 44m from the boundary; this is well within the Planning privacy distances required adjacent to habitable rooms/blank elevations. It is also worth noting that in this case the nearest house is a further 30m from this boundary line.

Timber will be an ongoing maintenance issue and cost for the school. In consideration of recent topical discussions re. fire, it is worth noting that should fire treatment be applied to timber cladding, a protective stain coating will not be compatible; it would need to be left to weather naturally. The cost of timber has inflated hugely and delivery times increased considerably, in the recent months.

Site and construction traffic will be carefully managed by Conlon Construction to minimise the disruption caused. Measures will include no deliveries to site during drop off and pick up times; a Banksman to manage any site traffic and a delivery plan to ensure traffic is not waiting near to site before they are allowed to enter and deliver materials.

If these proposals go ahead the school itself and Victoria road will feel so much busier and the local surrounding roads will become far too congested with increased traffic and parking at pickup and drop off times. Some parents are already inconsiderate with their parking and I worry this will only get worse with over 100 more parents dropping off and picking up especially as the catchment area will widen and more parents will feel the need to use their cars. I worry about road safety for our children with more cars parked on the road and surrounding area and increased traffic on the road especially driving down towards the proposed new car park. The road’s traffic is already at capacity. Unlike other larger schools in the immediate area, the Willows only has one entry point for staff, parents, pupils and visitors. This will have a huge impact on drop off and pick up times not only for road traffic but also pedestrians walking in and out of the school at busy times.

We appreciate that additional traffic associated with school expansions are a concern to local residents and part of the application submission includes a traffic report and traffic plan. The findings from this will both be considered and implemented where possible to minimise the potential disruption caused by the extra 75 pupils who will be attending the school.

The school will be required to update their Travel Plan which is designed to reduce car journeys and promote active travel. The School are also being considered for a school street, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This should make it considerably easier for pedestrians approaching the school and residents adjacent to the school. The school completed a survey with the children to identify how they travel to school. 70% of the children generally arrive at school on foot, bike or scooter. The school will regularly monitor the situation and aim to work to increase this number further. The School regularly remind parents about parking and have contacted the Road Safety Team at the Council regarding parking enforcement. The Road Safety Team have visited school at different times of the day/week to enforce good practice. A new parking area is proposed further away to relieve the traffic pressure at the existing car park entrance.

Finally, does the council have evidence of the oversubscription of Timperley schools from Trafford residents (the main reason given for the need to expand the Willows to a 2 form entry)? I happen to know that the 2 nearest and largest local Trafford schools within a mile of the Willows (Heyes Lane and St Hugh’s) are not oversubscribed for reception places in September 2022. I know as a former employee at Heyes Lane that they regularly offer places to children who do not live in the Timperley area or even in the Trafford borough and year on year take children from much further afield. Is this because Manchester primary schools are full?

Where are all the extra children coming from to fill these places? As there is no new housing within the catchment area of the Willows.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to our concerns and we look forward to hearing from you.

Trafford Council has a duty to provide school places for every child resident within the borough. This duty has been met by expanding a number of Primary Schools across the borough to meet local demand. Only 2 schools in the whole of Altrincham have vacancies in Year 3 where 6 schools have already admitted children above the published admission number. This situation is repeated in Year 4 but every school in Altrincham is full or overfull in Years 5 and 6.

An additional 130 pupils in total are expected from new housing developments in the Altrincham area within next 5 years which equates to an additional 0.62 FE.

Comment 3

I am in favor of the expansion and have no concerns on the new building/changes to the building but I would like to express some of my concerns regarding parking and vehicles at drop off and pick up. There is already double yellow lines on the corners of Alexander Drive and Victoria Road but this is disregarded by parents who want to park close to the school, due to Victoria being a dead end most parent use the corner of Alexander and Victoria as a meeting/dropping off area. I have emailed the school my concerns a number of times and the Head Teacher has acted but nothing has changed parents attitudes to this situation. When the school has a higher intake this will only increase the number of vehicles in this area in a morning and afternoon, I have had to start parking outside my property (not on my drive) as it is extremely dangerous trying to get off my drive when cars are parked both opposite my drive and next to my drive on double yellow lines. I would like to know what your plans are to help with this problem as it will only be increased with the planned expansion.

Part of the application submission includes a traffic report and traffic plan. The findings from this will both be considered and implemented where possible to minimise the potential disruption caused by extra pupils who will be attending the school. The school will be required to update their Travel Plan which is designed to reduce car journeys and promote active travel. The School are also being considered for a school street, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This should make it considerably easier for pedestrians approaching the school and residents adjacent to the school. The school completed a survey with the children to identify how they travel to school. 70% of the children generally arrive at school on foot, bike or scooter. The school will regularly monitor the situation and aim to work to increase this number further. The School regularly remind parents about parking and have contacted the Road Safety Team at the Council regarding parking enforcement. The Road Safety Team have visited school at different times of the day/week to enforce good practice. A new parking area is proposed further away to relieve the traffic pressure at the existing car park entrance.

Comment 4

The proposals look good, and a two storey building seems like a sensible approach to take. Has a covered walkway between the new classrooms and the early years classrooms been considered? I'm sure that the ability to go between these two area without getting wet on a rainy day would be beneficial.

Traffic around the school at pick up / drop off times seems to be a problem at the moment, and with an increase in children there will inevitably be more cars. Are there any plans to improve safety on the local streets - double yellow lines, residents parking permits etc?

A covered walkway would impact on the usability of the Playground and essentially cut the space in half so is not an ideal solution.

Comment 5

The school seems to be under constant pressure to increase it's intake. The schools that made Trafford popular are in danger of becoming overcrowded with less care and attention being given to the children. More school are needed, increasing the size of our current schools will just just result in poorer education for our children.

1 form entry (30 pupils per year group) schools are no longer viable therefore expanding Willows Primary school by ½ FE to 2 FE will allow it to remove mixed age classes, increase funding and employ more teachers to improve the opportunities for all pupils.

As a parent we are constantly receiving emails asking us to not to drive to school as I resident agree with this request as it's too busy and dangerous with the amount of cars we see. The school is not on a large road and increasing the intake will only allow children not from a walking distance to attend, This will increase the traffic and widening the pavements won't help in the slightest. You are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Trafford council has been all about making money for years now and nothing else.

We appreciate that safety is a concern to local residents. Part of the application submission includes a traffic report and traffic plan. The findings from this will both be considered and implemented where possible to minimise the potential disruption caused by extra pupils who will be attending the school. The School regularly remind parents about parking and have contacted the Road Safety Team at the Council regarding parking enforcement. The Road Safety Team have visited school at different times of the day/week to enforce good practice. The School are also being considered for a school street, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This should make it considerably easier for pedestrians approaching the school and residents adjacent to the school. Any work to install traffic calming measures would need to be carried out by the highways department and unfortunately falls outside the scope of works for the proposed extension A new parking area is proposed further away to relieve the traffic pressure at the existing car park entrance.

Comment 6

The plans look realistic and offer consideration to residents. The expansion is something as a parent I am also hoping excited about as the school will effectively move to 2 form entry and away from 1.5 . The plans look well thought out and I don’t feel they will detract from the view or impose. We were well aware of the potential growth of the school when we moved in 3 years ago and we feel the potential increased traffic can be effectively managed with continuous communication. Thanks again!

Thank you for your comments

Comment 7

I do agree with the proposed plans somewhat

The extension of the playground will be backing on to our garden.

Can you please clarify what will happen to the tall trees that go along the Grove Lane side of the school

I live at ** Victoria Road. Based on past discussions, I (I’m sure neighbours either side of me would agree) would like the first 2/3 trees nearest to the car park removing/cutting down/replanting for smaller trees

These trees have grown too tall since we moved in as they block the sun from entering our garden. If the playground is extended, removing the trees would lower the risk of injury as the heavy branches have fallen during recent stormy weather.

The Trees adjacent to Grove Lane are being retained. We have commissioned an Arbitoricultural survey to assess the condition of the trees on site (and any pruning required to maintain health and safety etc). It is deemed unnecessary to remove healthy trees that have no impact on the new development

Comment 8

Objecting to the planned proposal of a two storey extension to the willows primary school due to loss of light onto our residential property this will restrict light into our bedrooms which are at the front of the property.

Thank you

The closest part of the new build is circa 44m from the boundary and the nearest house is a further 30m from this boundary line. Loss of light is highly unlikely.

Comment 9

As residents on Victoria Road we object to the size of the new car park, it is far too small- staff are already parking in the road and adjacent roads. This combined with more traffic will cause added stress and inconvenience and increase potential hazards to the children and public. We would like to see a continuation of the ban stopping parents dropping off for school on Victoria Road. As the site is a large one and the new development is extensive there is surely room to accommodate a much larger carpark.

We appreciate there are parking pressures associated with the school, however, the permissible number of car parking spaces is set out by the department for education and Highways England. The extension to the school falls in line with these guidelines. The proposed car park numbers are based on the new classrooms related to this Application. The number of new spaces being provided is greater than the number of new staff that will be employed. The school will also ensure Staff Park efficiently to take as many staff cars off the roads as possible. The School will encourage staff to use the car park during school hours. This car park is solely for the use of staff and should reduce the pressure at the entrance to the existing car park. We also have to consider the detrimental effect additional parking will have to the School recreation space. Additional parking bays will reduce the external play space area for the children.

Comment 10

Can’t keep squeezing more and more children into a space that’s not big enough. The expansion will allow for the necessary growth.

Thank you for your comments.

Comment 11

The expansion will be absolutely fantastic for the school and it's pupils. It's design is sympathetic to it's surroundings and "hidden" within the grounds whilst not taking up in use green space. The addition of the studio will be key to maintaining the school's inclusive ethos as it will allow for whole school assemblies, this is something that is highly valued at the Willows.

Traffic is always a concern and although a high percentage of people do walk to school there is still an issue with poor parking and busy roads. We hope that the Council will support our application for a School street which we hope will alleviate some of our neighbours' concerns as well as making for a safer environment for our children.

This expansion will allow two full year classes instead of the current model of mixed year groups. I feel very positively about this and believe that it will greatly benefit our pupils. The erection of a two story building at the end of the corridor will assist the school in keeping the small school atmosphere whilst also giving the juniors a "step up" between primary and secondary education.

Comment 12

-There is already far too much traffic and cars travelling too fast around the school Area.

-The congestion will increase making it more dangerous for the children crossing.

-Disruption to the children during construction, they’ve already had so much disruption during the last 2 years.

-I chose the Willows Primary school for my children as it was a nice small community, this has already been eroded to a certain degree with the expansion to 1.5 year intake and this will only add to that. Both my children were greatly affected by the first and second increase in numbers.

- Also as a resident of Alexander Drive the increase traffic will have a negative effect.

Conlon Construction Ltd. are very experienced at working on live school sites and will work hard to minimise disruption by programming internal works during the school holidays. In addition it will remove the split age groups to a single age group.

Comment 13

It will provide excellent new facilities for pupils.

Traffic is already a problem; how can an increase be mitigated for local roads?

Comment 14

The school is on cul de sac area with houses right opposite, the road gets packed and busy at school times as it is that we can’t even park into our driveway many times. Since the last expansion I can see into the school hall from my house which was not the case before.

I can not imagine how blocked the road will be with another expansion and the incidents that can occur.

I can not see how us as residents can retain our privacy in our homes with higher building . The look of the road has changed massively and with each extension it will be even worse. When you buy a house on the road you don’t expect the school to become bigger and bigger every few years with other schools in the area not expanding and having places.

If other schools have places why does Willows have to become bigger school and make the area totally different from private Cul/-de-sac into a busy packed area.

We appreciate that safety is a concern to local residents. Part of the application submission includes a traffic report and traffic plan. The findings from this will both be considered and implemented where possible to minimise the potential disruption caused by extra pupils who will be attending the school. The School regularly remind parents about parking and have contacted the Road Safety Team at the Council regarding parking enforcement. The Road Safety Team have visited school at different times of the day/week to enforce good practice. The School are also being considered for a school street, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This should make it considerably easier for pedestrians approaching the school and residents adjacent to the school. Any work to install traffic calming measures would need to be carried out by the highways department and unfortunately falls outside the scope of works for the proposed extension A new parking area is proposed further away to relieve the traffic pressure at the existing car park entrance.

Comment 15

Good to be able to accomodate more students in such a great school.

Thank you for your comments

Comment 16

I think it’s a great idea, great use of space as the playground safe not affected. This will give other children an opportunity to attend an amazing school!

Thank you for your comments

Comment 17

The plans seem to respond well to the growing demands of the school.

However some canopy would be good to provide shelter from rain and solar gain. Especially near the main entrance and the entrance the is used by after school club.

External lighting should also be improved during the expansion renovation.

The canopy and external lighting is unfortunately outside the remits of this application/budget

Comment 18

The plans seem well thought out and especially as a former parent I am glad this is seen as a suitable school for the necessary expansion of Trafford's provision.

Living almost directly opposite the proposed new small staff carpark I would obviously prefer not to have this so close. Nevertheless I appreciate the need and accept this.

Can I suggest:

1 - As well as the "landscape screen", could also a number of trees or similar greenery be reinstated at least in this area. (Many trees were removed a few years ago.)

2 - Currently traffic at the start and end of the school day can be very problematic which needs to be address. I personally have had a number of near-misses cycling down the road in the morning due to reckless driver behaviour. The road should be restricted to residents and staff at these times and, along with surrounding roads, made into a 20 mph zone. Importantly, existing and hopefully these future measures must be enforced.

Finally, I have every confidence that the construction process will go as smoothly and considerately as the previous expansion with the oversight of the headteacher.

The landscaping has been proposed in consideration of immediate screening of the new car park and the budget available.

Comment 19

I think the move to being a 2-form entry school is a positive one for both the pupils and staff, reducing the need for mixed age classes. The building plans look great; not too much impact on their outdoor space, extra intervention rooms, ICT suite and a Hall that can fit everyone in. From the outside I think it won’t be too imposing which is nice. Traffic will probably be in issue as it is already. We walk to and from school but perhaps something could be done to try to persuade fewer people to drive, unless they really need to?

Comment 20

Concerned regarding resources, with bigger year groups will students still receive the same level of education and attention from teaching staff. I don't want my children to suffer as a result of the expansion

The number of teachers will increased in line with the number of additional classrooms to ensure staff:pupil ratios are maintained.

The proposals also include additional intervention and break out spaces to increase the opportunity for teaching in smaller groups.

Comment 21

I query the extension to the hall as it’s not clear whether the studio opens up to the hall to create one large space. The hall is too small for the school at current capacity. The hall needs to be maximised/extended as much as possible.

Comment 22

Trafford Council need to stop building new houses which creates more demand on schools increase demand on places and push out middle earners for high earners. We already live in an area where it is highly unlikely out children will attend a local grammar school whilst kids are shipped in from all over Manchester and Cheshire instead. I am concerned with regards my child's education suffering as the school expands and less time is dedicated to the children and the community feel is lost. Trafford Council appear to be very greedy and are only interested in over populating already expensive areas so they can reap the benefits. I would not support an expansion.

Comment 23

What will be done to manage the increased traffic at start/finish times? There are already too many parents who drive to the school and park right outside. What traffic claming/restricting measures are being put in place?

What is being done to increase the after school childcare provision? RSP is already at capacity, with the number of pupils being increased what increase in RSP capacity is being created? As a minimum the hall will need to be significantly increased in size.

The RSP provision is a totally separate business who rent the premises from the school. The school leadership and governors have no influence how this provider is run or what it offers. However the studio will be an extra space that they could possibly rent so they could increase their numbers if they felt it was right to do so.

Comment 24

Concerned as we live locally about the increase in amount of traffic and general noise.

In addition, wondering how much negative impact will the building work disruption have on the current cohort’s education especially since our children have been out of school lots during Covid.

Thinking of the bigger picture the plans looks good, and facilitates will be good.

Part of the application submission includes a traffic report and traffic plan. The findings from this will both be considered and implemented where possible to minimise the potential disruption caused by extra pupils who will be attending the school. The School regularly remind parents about parking and have contacted the Road Safety Team at the Council regarding parking enforcement. The Road Safety Team have visited school at different times of the day/week to enforce good practice. The School are also being considered for a school street, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This should make it considerably easier for pedestrians approaching the school and residents adjacent to the school. Any work to install traffic calming measures would need to be carried out by the highways department and unfortunately falls outside the scope of works for the proposed extension A new parking area is proposed further away to relieve the traffic pressure at the existing car park entrance.

Comment 25

Whilst I appreciate that expansion is necessary, I was quite surprised to see that the school hall is to remain the same size. It serves as an assembly room, a gym and a dining hall amongst other things. It is already too small for the current number of students so I honestly assumed it would be increased to a sufficient size. I can not see that it is and I think this should be reconsidered.

Comment 26

I'm in favour of the expansion for a number of reasons –

– moving to a single age form group rather than split age form group

– increased size of playground and replacing the muddy area with astro turf

– reinstatement of the ICT suite which our son enjoyed using

– pleased that the expansion is not visually obtrusive to residents

– very pleased that the new buildings don't encroach on the green space at the school, the open space is a big part of why we love the school

– the plans feel like a sensitive response to the obvious requirement to provide more school places for local children

Thank you for your comments

Comment 27

My concern is around the safety outside of school with additional parents and traffic. It is already dangerous with current numbers at pick up and drop off times , parking around junctions is dangerous and this will only get worse.

Is it possible to make the road in front off school closed to cars (apart from residents) to parts of the day ? Or install more road markings or a one way route to ensure that cars aren’t meeting at junctions where visibility is poor and children are crossing?

Part of the application submission includes a traffic report and traffic plan. The findings from this will both be considered and implemented where possible to minimise the potential disruption caused by extra pupils who will be attending the school. The School regularly remind parents about parking and have contacted the Road Safety Team at the Council regarding parking enforcement. The Road Safety Team have visited school at different times of the day/week to enforce good practice. The School are also being considered for a school street, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This should make it considerably easier for pedestrians approaching the school and residents adjacent to the school. Any work to install traffic calming measures would need to be carried out by the highways department and unfortunately falls outside the scope of works for the proposed extension A new parking area is proposed further away to relieve the traffic pressure at the existing car park entrance.

Comment 28

It's understood that there is a lack of school places, and Willows having space on site is an obvious option. The timing however means that children will be disrupted further, when they are just starting to get beck to 'normality'.

There is no information which would expected for this kind of proposal, and consultation, of how this would work will affect the school during construction phases, bearing in mind that it is the year 5/6 classrooms that are being converted, potentially affecting for some their last year in primary school.

The location makes a lot of sense and preserves the playing fields, however;

In terms of the plans, it's disappointing to not see the hall properly extended so that years can meet together at assemblies. Willows has always been a great school in mixing years and creating a large family which would be a shame to loose. The ability to however divide the hall space is good.

The elevations and 3D sketch are both in black and white which doesn't really give a good indication as to how this will look. There is a danger from what is shown, that the appearance will be bland and predictable, and doesn't represent the energy of the children at the school. It would be lovely to see some of the children's input into the scheme and for this to be used as a learning exercise of the building trade and design, which may in some way help elevate the disruption it will cause.

We understand that education for all children has been disrupted during the pandemic. However Conlon Construction Ltd are very experienced at working on live school sites and will work hard to minimise disruption by programming internal works during the school holidays. The expansion will relieve pressure on mixed year groups, their teachers and improve the learning experience for pupils. School will endeavour to ensure that consideration is given to the welfare of all of pupils, both new and existing. Various options have been considered re. the positioning of access points and the site compound. The current preferred option results in minimal impact on facilities available to the school during the construction period.

Any damage to the cladding will require replacement of any screen prints. This is therefore not as robust a solution or as commercially sustainable as applying a vinyl film to glazing. Bespoke tiles are unfortunately not a cost effective solution to our limited budget in this instance. We have however proposed super graphics on the large expanses of glazing to animate the elevations/spaces - As they are applied to the glazing, they can be appreciated by children internally as well as externally (better value for money). Colour will be introduced in window reveals and via the glazing super graphics. Our aim is for the extension to adopt a child-like rather childish approach as we have experience more positive feedback on this concept. The Contractor has a Social Value commitment to this development and will be involving the children in as many aspects of the build as reasonably possible.

Comment 29

Plans look good - nice to see the playing field retained.

Just need to ensure that extension of communal / amenity /staff areas (eg, hall, kitchens, library, offices) are considered when increasing the school intake. Last time the school increased in numbers it was realised at a later date that the hall capacity wasn't fit for purpose and hence the canopy was added.

Staff spaces are being increased (a new PPA room and admin space is being provided as part of this development.)

Comment 30

The proposals look great and I welcome the proposals in principle to expand the school.

From the plans it appears the Reception hard surface play ground and green space is reduced in size - is this correct? With additional pupils and the way reception and nursery work i..e a significant time outside how will the reduction in outside space accommodate an increase in the number of pupils?

Has there been thought in how the wrap around on site care (Ready Steady Play) will be impacted - this is already hugely oversubscribed with waiting lists - how will additional children be accommodated for?

It would be useful to have the sun path to illustrate whether the new building would overshadow play spaces for the children.

I also notice the cabin is proposed to be relocated - will this remain as a classroom or for storage space / alternative uses?

Lastly the current alleyway (between Victoria Road and Wentworth Avenue) used by a vast amount of parents and also local residents to access the school is in a poor quality state which is unsafe for children due to the uneven surface and overgrown thorn bushes. Please can it be considered as part of the wider public benefit this link alleyway is brought up to an appropriate standard and is managed. Many thanks,

The green area has been reduced for Reception but their hard area has been increased. The design has considered the external areas but places a value on hard play areas as this provides a year round solution where soft play may not i.e. during inclement weather. The school site is more than sufficient to cater for a 2 form entry school. The school will manage the year groups so that play areas are fully utilised.

Ready Steady Play is a totally separate business who rent the premises from the school. The school leadership and governors have no influence how this provider is run or what it offers. However the studio will be an extra space that they could possibly rent so they could increase their numbers if they felt it was right to do so.

Given the restricted site, it is impossible to not overshadow some part of the play area during the day. We have however tried to limit this as far as practicable without reducing the play area itself (as would be the case if a single storey option was progressed).

Street lighting and path resurfacing works are outside the scope of these works.

Comment 31

I support the principle of the extension and the position and scale looks very sensible.

The school is currently single storey, but the two storey extension makes a lot of sense as it avoids losing recreational space.

As an architect with one child currently at the school (and another child who will hopefully join in September) I see the extension as a chance to engage and excite pupils about design, architecture and the built environment. Elements such as the external cladding could be a real opportunity for pupils to see their designs reflected in their school.

Modern cladding systems are capable of receiving printed graphics or even things like sketched designs drawn into wet concrete that could in turn be used as rain screen tiles.

Defaulting to a fairly bland grey aesthetic seems to me to be an opportunity missed.

At the time of the public consultation, the scheme was still in development; 3Ds of the scheme in progress were provided for discussion purposes. Although we agree that printed graphics on cladding is desirable from an aesthetics point of view, we have to design a scheme in consideration of the budget available. Any damage to the cladding will require replacement of any screen prints. This is therefore not as robust a solution or as commercially sustainable as applying a vinyl film to glazing. Bespoke tiles are unfortunately not a cost effective solution to our limited budget in this instance. We have however proposed super graphics on the large expanses of glazing to animate the elevations/spaces - As they are applied to the glazing, they can be appreciated by children internally as well as externally (better value for money). Colour will be introduced in window reveals and via the glazing super graphics. Our aim is for the extension to adopt a child-like rather childish approach as we have experience more positive feedback on this concept. The Contractor has a Social Value commitment to this development and will be involving the children in as many aspects of the build as reasonably possible.

Comment 32

The proposals seem to have been designed so as to not cause too much disruption to the existing classrooms which is good. I am glad the school isn't losing a lot of outdoor space and it seems sensible that the older juniors will be using the upper level.

One concern we have is around the capacity the hall. While the proposed studio goes some way to address this, it doesn't seem to increase the capacity of the hall enough to accommodate the proposed additional pupils. It also leaves the hall an awkward shape. It appears that the sliding partition restricts the new space being used for fire escape, and therefore it cannot run the whole length of the hall. To not extend to the full length seems short-sighted. Would it be better to extend the hall the whole way - from the staff room up to the end of the building (over where the proposed bike shelter is)? The studio space could be located further across and would have partitions on 2 sides to allow the whole space to be incorporated into the hall, leaving a large section of the extension within the hall which can be used for fire escape.

Another reason for concern regarding the capacity of the hall, is the limitations this imposes on the wraparound care places provided by Ready Steady Play. There are already waiting lists for RSP and increasing pupil numbers will inevitably increase the need for wraparound care. This is critically needed by parents in order to maintain employment.

Additionally, as the increasing pupil numbers will necessitate the encouragement of parents and children to walk to school, it should be noted that the alleyway that connects Victoria Road and Wentworth Avenue is in a poor state and needs improving. In particular the addition of some street lighting (it is pitch black there on winter evenings) would encourage more people to access the school via that route on foot. Resurfacing would be good too! We appreciate this is the responsibility of Trafford Council.

The new Studio extension opens up into the Hall to create one space - this should go towards alleviating the pressures on the timetabling for existing space & accommodate the increased children places at assemblies. Trafford Council have carried out a space analysis of the existing accommodation. The capacity of the school Hall and Kitchen are sufficient according to the Department for Education guidance. The additional Studio space is intended to supplement the school facilities by providing another indoor space - this will allow additional classes of PE, music, dance or drama to be taught. It will also provide flexibility and allow the school to accommodate more indoor PE sessions to mitigate for any outdoor sessions lost due to the inclement Manchester weather. Staff spaces are being increased (a new PPA room and admin space is being provided as part of this development.) The new Studio does not extend to the full width of the existing Hall so that the required fire escape distances (in consideration of the proposed occupancy numbers etc.), can be provided - the final fire escape doors indicated off the existing Hall are required to exit directly into the external play area. The sliding partition does not restrict the new space - the distance from the other side of the existing Hall to the final exit (into the external space,) however does impact on the positioning of the final exit door (as described above). Extending up towards the proposed cycle shelter is not affordable within the budget available to us. We also need external space to position cycle storage in line with Trafford Council Highway’s policies. Although we agree that flexibility can be an advantage; sliding folding doors (and the steelwork structure associated) come at a considerable cost - we have proposed the extent of sliding folding doors affordable within our budget.

Street lighting and path resurfacing works are outside the scope of these works.

Comment 33

Great idea as will mean no more mixed age classes, children will learn alongside others of similar age and stage in development and can continue to form friendships. The proposal looks very well thought out and will not compromise on outside space. Care has been made on supporting children with intervention and sensory space. The Willows is a great school and more families will get to receive top class education in a caring setting allow all of our community to benefit.

Thank you for your comments

Comment 34

Trees need cutting down 50% (dangerous) onto telephone lines. Parking double yellow lines ignored. Leaves falling autumn winter (horrendous).

Trees adjacent to Grove Lane are being retained. We have commissioned an Arboricultural survey to assess the condition of the trees on site (and any pruning required to maintain health and safety etc.). It is deemed unnecessary to remove healthy trees that have no impact on the new development

Comment 35

I submit my observations.

Whilst accepting that there need to be extra school places provided, I think the plans need to be carefully analysed.

Why cannot the car park extension be added to the rear of the current carpark?

This option has been considered however it was considered detrimental to the children's recreational space.

There will be increased traffic and parking by parents along Victoria Road. At present, parents drive along Victoria road, some at high speed to turn at the bottom of the cul de sac, barely missing residents cars, walls and fences. There have been cars damaged in the past. Some cars encroach on residents’ driveways blocking exit or entrance. There is also parking along the road by visitors to the school during school hours.

The school does all it can to encourage visitors and parents to be mindful of road safety and to be courteous to our neighbours and other road users. The headteacher and site manager regularly patrol Victoria Road at drop off and pick up times. The school frequently writes to parents to encourage them to walk to school and to keep Victoria Road as a car free zone. Those parents who need to drive are encouraged to park away from the school, those who do drive onto Victoria road are reminded to obey the Highway Code, especially laws pertaining to speed and parking. The school is actively engaged with the police and the council in trying to reduce traffic and driving / parking offences on the road.

The School are also being considered for a school street, where parts of the roads surrounding the school will be restricted whilst children arrive and leave the school site. This should make it considerably easier for pedestrians approaching the school and residents on Victoria Road.

Which entrance will be used for building vehicles? When the last work – the all weather surface playing area- was constructed, residents were assured that the main gates would be used BUT when work started the top gates were used as 24 hours before the Headteacher had been informed that the access was not large enough for their vehicles. Not one of their vehicles was larger than the weekly refuse truck which has no problems. It was obviously just easier to use the top gate. There have been several extensions to The Willows original footprint and on each occasion, building vehicles have blocked the road, often being left driverless so it has been impossible to ask them to be moved. We all have various appointments or staggered work times that mean all day access and exit is needed. If the weather is wet, great swathes of mud are deposited on the road and nobody ever cleaned those up.

The proposed works will be utilising the field access gate at the end of Victoria Road as the construction access point, as this is in close proximity to the extension works and also to limit cross over with Pupil/Parent pedestrian arrival and leaving times and other school vehicular parking. Construction vehicular arrivals to and from the project will be restricted to periods outside of school morning arrivals and afternoon leaving times and will be managed by the site management team in line with the project specific Site Traffic Management Plan. As a rule Construction vehicle parking will be prohibited on Victoria Road and on the occasion that large vehicular deliveries are proposed this will be communicated to local residents in advance so there is an understanding of intentions. As a contractor all our projects are carried out under the Considerate Constructors Scheme and are regularly vetted by external health and safety bodies to ensure the works are carried out in a safe and considerate manner.

If the car park is put as on the suggested plans, what happens to the few trees which were planted as a sop to the row of native English trees which were removed because of the railings. This was spurious as the railings could have been put inside the row of trees. In fact the railings were so poorly measured that there is a dog leg piece in the railings. The edges of the railings which abut the pavement were never finished off and the disruption to the pavement surface from the Nursery down to the bottom of the cul de sac was never levelled. One hopes that the trees will be avoided or replanted or that will be another violation of the environment.

The small trees that are scattered across the rough grassed area will be moved and replanted if they are in good condition. Any that are in poor condition will be replaced.

If the weather is wet, great swathes of mud are deposited on the road and nobody ever clears it up.

As you can see, there are grave concerns about the quality of work previously carried out by successive building contractors and one hopes the shoddy workmanship will not be continued with the current plans.

May I also point out that every so often the main drain which runs under the school field blocks and very large tractor vehicles and pipe containing vehicles have to access the field through the top gate. This access would run right across the new car park.

To address the potential for this issue the contractors compound working areas beyond the field access gate will be hard surfaced in stone material to ensure safe and adequate foot and vehicular traffic and this should principally address the risk of soil and mud migrating onto the public highway. We will also have allowance for periodic road sweeping of the public highway to address any arising issues. Our proposals will be contained in a Construction Phase Management Plan that will be prepared and submitted to the Local Authority for approval to address any planning conditions that are raised in this regard.

Suitable access will be maintained where required for maintenance vehicles.

The scheme has now been submitted to the Planning department.

Planning Application Ref: 107718/FUL/22

All the above comments / responses have been submitted to the Planning department within the design & access statement.

To respond to the formal planning application please follow the link:

Simple Search (trafford.gov.uk)

Comment on a planning application (trafford.gov.uk)

Overview

Trafford Council has a duty to provide school places for every child resident within the borough. This duty has been met by expanding a number of Primary Schools across the borough to meet local demand. Altrincham and Sale have experienced the greatest demand within Trafford, therefore, Trafford Council are now proposing the physical expansion of Willows Primary School to move the admission number from 45 (1.5 forms of entry) to 60 (2 forms of entry).

The Council held preliminary discussions with the School and then the School joined with Council Officers to consider submissions from 3 contractors before appointing Conlon Construction Ltd. and their associated architects, Bowker Sadler Architects. A series of meetings has been held to allow the School to participate in developing the proposal alongside Council Officers and the appointed Design and Build Contractor.

Stakeholders were invited to the school on Wednesday 16 March 2022 and the informal consultation now continues online.

You are invited to comment on the proposed plans detailed below. Comments should be submitted by 24 March 2022.

The school currently admits 1.5 forms of entry (45 pupils) in each year group, 315 pupils in total, plus the Nursery with 26 full time or 52 part time places. The plan is to expand the school to 2 FE or 60 pupils in each year group, 420 pupils in total, but the Nursery will remain at 26 places.

The proposed expansion at Willows Primary School will remove the need for mixed age classes and allow the IT room to be reinstated. The IT room was converted into a classroom earlier in the year to enable a bulge Year 5/6 class to be provided.

The Proposal

If the proposal goes ahead, a new two storey block will be provided adjacent to the former IT room. It will consist of 4 additional classrooms, intervention spaces and WCs.

The proposal includes an extension to the hall and the reconfiguration of some internal spaces to create a staff work area and additional group spaces.

Externally the staff car park will be expanded with a further 8 spaces (and 3 re-provided spaces) and the playground will be extended.

Once the construction work is complete the IT room will be reinstated.

Proposed Timeline

Invitation to view plans 16 March 2022

Proposed planning application submission March 2022

Start of construction (subject to planning approval) Autumn 2022

New building planned to open September 2023

Proposed Plans

Please click below to view each of the following plans;

Plan 1 – Existing site plan

Shows the existing site layout with a red line denoting the site boundary.

Plan 2 – Proposed site plan

Shows proposed location of the new classrooms, studio, extended playground and additional staff parking.

Plan 3 – Proposed Floor plan

Details the layout of the additional classrooms and associated spaces in the new extension and alterations to existing building to create a staff workspace/ group area.

Plan 4 – Proposed elevations

This plan details the elevations of the new block from different angles showing relative height and scale.

Plan 5 – Existing and Proposed Streetscene

Shows the existing and proposed view from Victoria Road.

Plan 6 – 3D visualisation

Shows the scale and massing of the proposed new classrooms and studio

If you would like to express your views on the plans, please complete the following questionnaire or email school.admissions@trafford.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to Marilyn Golding, School Admissions, Trafford Council, Waterside House, Sale M33 7ZF. Comments should be submitted by 24 March 2022.

Responses to this consultation will be available on this site after the consultation closing date.

There will be another opportunity to formally comment on the proposed plans when they are submitted via the planning portal.

What happens next

Responses to this consultation will be available on this site after the consultation closing date.

There will be another opportunity to formally comment on the proposed plans when they are submitted via the planning portal.

Contact

Results updated 8 Jun 2022

Complete Proposal

Links:

Overview

What happens next

Share