School allowed to expand but numbers are limited
Jubilee Primary School in Fant has been given permission to more than double in size.
But councillors have set strict limits on how many extra pupils the Gatland Lane site will be able to take.
Maidstone’s planning committee voted overwhelmingly to allow the school’s application for change of use to a free school and take on 240 pupils at its Gatland Lane site by 2022.
Initially, the school had wanted 420 pupils on its roll by this year.
Currently, it has 89 pupils. Its expansion will be limited to 30 pupils a year and after September 2022 the pupil count will be allowed to drop to 210.
Some councillors approved the move with reluctance, having to take into account the presumption in favour of free schools laid down by the government in planning decisions.
They also feared an appeal could put hard-won conditions at risk.
The committee heard objections to the plan from councillors and people living nearby, including Cowdrey Close resident Job Mayatt.
He reiterated concerns about parking because of the expan- sion but accepted that almost 200 fewer pupils than proposed would mitigate these.
Brian Skinner, of Save Fant Farm Community Group, said: “Personally, I have observed nose- to- nose confrontation between drivers and seen vehicles driving on pathways to avoid collisions, and all this with 90 pupils.
“Imagine 210, some of them as young as four years. Let’s not mince words, Gatland Lane can be a racetrack sometimes. We know, we live there.”
County highways officers had made no objections over parking, while the school had already agreed to abide by conditions designed to mitigate the impact on residents.
These include the creation of a no-stopping section between both school entrances into Gatland Lane and designing a travel plan to manage the impact of rush-hour traffic.
Fant councillor Stephen Paine (Con) said the application had turned the community “spoilt and sore” and left him inundated with letters from supporters and detractors.
“We need to work on piecing this community back together to fix this,” he said.
Planning committee chairman Clive English (Lib Dem) proposed the motion to agree the application, seconded by Cllr John Wilson (Con). The vote was carried nine votes to two.