Carlton school car park plans spark concern
BEAUMARIS DRIVE RESIDENTS SAY ACCESS TO BURTON ROAD IS ‘ALREADY A NIGHTMARE’
PLANS to add a new vehicle entrance and car park to a Nottinghamshire secondary school have been met with frustration from nearby residents.
The additions are part of the multimillion pound plans for an expansion of Carlton Le Willows School by applicant and headteacher, Craig Weaver.
The move is to address the increasing demand for school places in Gedling and the wider community, with around 360 extra students being able to join the September 2022 intake.
Submitted to Gedling Borough Council, the proposals include 20 additional classrooms, a 460-person capacity main hall, canteen and dining area with 600-person capacity and an additional 94 parking spaces.
It is this car park and its access point on Burton Road that has sparked concern from residents living in the Beaumaris Drive estate.
The Design and Access Statement outlines proposals for an entrance on Burton Road which is located nearly opposite to the entrance of Beaumaris Drive.
Retired resident Noel Lake, 68, said: “Not so much now, as the road has been closed with the ongoing Gedling Access Road (GAR) works, but cars would typically queue along here, backed up from the traffic lights near Colwick Loop Road.
“They want a pedestrian crossing point as well as the entrance at a high traffic point, which is not good for road users or for the safety of pedestrians, such as school children.”
Joan Jordan, 75, is secretary of the Penmaris Residents’ Association, which is part of the same area.
She said: “This is the only entrance and exit to Beaumaris and all the other roads that filter off it. Myself and some other neighbours received a letter about the consultation on the entrance, but not everyone.”
A notice has been posted on Burton Road, informing residents of a 21-day public consultation from October 14 on the plans. The planning policy committee meeting is scheduled for December 2.
“It seems a bit odd in this day, with the Government promoting walking and cycling to bring in a car park,” 56-year-old Amy Kaur said.
“Plus for us as residents, it’s already a nightmare to get out onto Burton Road.
“We are not against the plans to expand the school, we understand the need - but it feels a bit underhand like they have sneaked in the car park and entrance into the plans.”
The main entrance and vehicle access to the school is currently on Wood Lane, with staff and visitor parking in the West Block. There is a separate drop-off and pick-up area for coaches and school buses already on Burton Road, which leads students directly to the East Block.
The proposed development means the access on Burton Road will form the main entrance and visitor parking area going forward - maps in the plans also indicate there would be a drop-off and turning area within the car park.
The location of the new Burton Road access was identified based on: the capacity of the current road use, good visibility in both directions, existing central hatching and refuges that can be modified to accommodate existing and future turning vehicles, sufficiently distant from housing estate access on the opposite side of the road, adjacent to existing pedestrian access to academy and minimal loss of trees and hedges.
Conservative councillors for the Trent Valley ward, Sam Smith and Mike Adams, said they had spoken to about 50 residents in small groups, to get their feedback. Councillor Smith said: “I think the main concern is the impact on congestion and pollution for this road and the safety for pedestrians.
“The residents have also given their alternative options which would be to move the entrance further down the road.”
Craig Weaver, the school’s headteacher, previously said: “If plans are approved we will be able to integrate our split-site, providing our student community with even more enhanced facilities befitting our position as one of the best schools in the county.
“Every year Carlton le Willows is always heavily oversubscribed. Increasing capacity means we will be able to offer even more local families the chance to secure a place at their firstchoice school.”
A LEADING virology expert in Nottingham has shared his thoughts on how a Nottingham university has worked to decrease the number of active coronavirus cases on its campus.
Currently, coronavirus cases at the University of Nottingham have fallen by 84 percent from 14 days ago to leave a total of 236 active cases at the institution on October 26. Just over two weeks ago, that figure stood at 1,469 active cases.
Professor Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology and Director of the Centre for Research on Global Virus Infections at the University of Nottingham feels the institution did well to identify cases and ensure students isolated to stop the virus spreading further.
Earlier this month, at a time when many students had newly arrived in Nottingham, the number of virus cases linked to the university was much higher and Prof Ball sees the challenge now as trying to further decrease active cases on its campuses.
Prof Ball said: “If we think about why the cases were so high, it’s a combination of how cases had already started to increase in some places and then when we had a few cases on campuses, it could spread easily because of how many students live in close proximity to one another.
“Students share properties or live in halls, meaning the virus could spread quickly. I think that was noticeable at the University of Nottingham and why a Pillar Two testing centre was set up on the campus.
“The university also rolled out its Asymptomatic Testing Service in halls so we could pick up on cases there and where someone had the virus but no symptoms so we could stop its hidden spread. It’s not that we artificially increased numbers by doing this, but instead we provided a truer number of cases than other universities have done. It was going to seem like we had more cases.
“Then, students who had the virus or came into contact with someone who did could be told to isolate and stop transmission events taking place. We expected rates to drop then, as has happened.
“The challenge now is to keep working towards bringing the number of cases down.”
The University of Nottingham has two NHS walk-in testing stations based on its University Park Campus and Jubilee Campus. Alongside these, its Asymptomatic Testing Service is an inhouse testing service specifically designed to tackle asymptomatic transmission.
Vice-chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “The number of active cases of Covid-19 among our university community continues its downward trend. While this demonstrates that our stringent measures to contain the coronavirus are working, we are never complacent.
“The overwhelming majority of our students are to be thanked and not vilified for acting responsibly. I am well aware that a small number of deeply illadvised actions by a minority of students can be seen as typical of a community of more than 35,000.
“Where this occurs I support action by Nottinghamshire Police, which will be reinforced by university disciplinary action, fines and campus sanctions where suspension and exclusion are potential outcomes. “This generation of students, and in particular the class of 2020, have experienced significant disruption to their education and employment prospects. That is why Nottingham, alongside all universities across the UK, is delivering campus teaching where safe to do so.”
The number of active cases of Covid-19 among our university community continues its downward trend. Professor Shearer West