Latest news with #StThomasOfCanterbury
BBC News
12 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Guildford: Council rejects plans to turn bungalow into preschool
Plans for a new preschool on the former site of a caretaker's house have been rejected due to fears over highway safety. St Thomas of Canterbury's School in Merrow, Guildford, submitted a proposal to transform a bungalow on the site into a school that parents say is needed to "help children achieve" of Guildford Borough Council's planning committee have rejected the plans in line with the recommendation made for refusal, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Officers argued that the significant benefits of providing early years schooling did not outweigh the massive highway safety risks. While more than 30 letters supporting the application were received, the committee ultimately determined that it had to follow the Highway Authority's advice despite supporting the Joss Bigmore said: "I'm desperate to approve this application […] However, we cannot ignore the language of the Highways Authority- I've never seen it that strong."Highways officers had condemned the plans as seeing an "unacceptable highway safety impact on the adjoining Highway" for both drivers and documents reveal the preschool could result in eight additional cars around the site at peak hours of 08:00 and 09:00 and 16:00 and 17:00 BST. No extra parking spaces would be provided for the new Kibble, responsible for running the St Thomas of Canterbury's School, argued there would be no major traffic increase given the crossover between families with children attending the preschool and primary members that the school would be willing to pay for traffic measures like yellow lines, he said: "I don't believe we have investigated all the options."However, some members raised concerns the starting and finishing times were different for each setting.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Guildford council officers oppose nursery plans at caretaker home
Plans for a new preschool on the former site of a Surrey caretaker's house have been labelled potentially "detrimental" to pedestrians and highway Thomas of Canterbury's School in Merrow, Guildford, has put forward plans to transform a 1960s caretaker's bungalow into a say the nursery would allow a smooth transition into primary school and "help children achieve", the Local Democracy Reporting Service planning officers have opposed the scheme, claiming there would be too much traffic at the start and the end of the school day. The school wants to transform the empty caretaker's block into an L-shaped building with a new entrance, foyer and canopy for a sheltered outdoor play new classroom space could cater for up to 31 pupils aged between two and four, and would be open from 07:30 to 17:30 BST, is also proposed that there may be opportunities for the preschool to operate outside of term than 30 letters supporting the application have been received, with some in favour of the plans saying it would help families build better links with the said it would help alleviate traffic pollution as many parents who have children at St Thomas's would not need to make additional journeys to take their younger children to preschools planning officers said there would be too much traffic in the area if the preschool gets permission, and a council report said the benefits did not outweigh the harms on highway councillors refuse the application, officers said converting the site as it would result in an "over intensification" of the school of Guildford Borough Council's planning committee will decide on whether the preschool can go ahead on 18 June.
