PLANS for a new car park area at a Grappenhall primary school to ‘remedy a long-term deficiency’ in staff parking space look set to be approved.

An application proposing a new car park area, footpath, new paladin fencing and gate at St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School, on Church Lane, will come before the development management committee on Wednesday.

The committee is recommended to approve the application, subject to conditions, with delegated authority given to the development manager to make ‘non-material changes to planning conditions and reasons as may be necessary prior to the issue of the decision’.

According to a report to the committee, planning permission is sought for a change of use of land and operational development in the green belt in order to construct a surface car park between St Wilfrid’s Church car park and a tennis court to the rear/north east side of the school site with the addition of a new tarmac footpath to replace existing paving, associated lighting and paladin mesh fencing with pedestrian gate.

It adds: “The proposed car park would be entirely within the curtilage of the school and would cover approximately 600sqm to provide 24 parking spaces.

“Access would be via a set of existing gates from the church car park via a private roadway which leads from Church Lane.

“The applicant states that the car park is required as the school is under provisioned in terms of car parking on site for the number of staff and there is limited scope for on-street parking in the surrounding area.

“Currently, in an agreement with WBC, school staff have been able to park at the vacant site of Grappenhall Hall School located opposite, however this is a temporary situation and is not a long parking term solution as the Grappenhall Hall School site will eventually be disposed of and/or redeveloped.

“The submitted green belt statement states that the proposed development would form additional parking facilities constructed using a permeable mesh geo-grid in order to limit the impact as far as possible to an existing grassed area.

“The ethos of the proposed design is to form an eco-friendly parking area which would have minimal impact on the green belt, the Grappenhall village conservation area and designated and non-designated heritage assets.

“The green belt statement also states that a key objective of the proposal is to remedy a long-term deficiency in staff parking space at the school.

“The additional facilities are intended for staff use only and an error in the design and access statement which includes parents should be disregarded.

“On the basis of the above assessment, the proposed development would be regarded as inappropriate development in the green belt which would result in harm to the character and openness of the green belt or conflict with the purposes of including land within the green belt by reason of inappropriateness.

“In this instance, the applicant has demonstrated that very special circumstances exist, and the benefits offered in terms of improved highway safety particularly in close proximity to a school and in the wider area surrounding the school, and in terms of general amenity are considered to outweigh that harm.

“It is further considered that the degree of harm identified is limited and the proposal therefore complies with Policy GB1 of the Local Plan.”