RESIDENTS living near a Wrexham primary school are said to be feeling “very angry” after plans to extend it were given the green light.

Wrexham Council previously applied to create space for an extra 120 pupils at Barker’s Lane Community Primary School, which is located on the outskirts of the town.

Education officials said the proposals had been put forward to meet a growing demand, which they were unable to meet during the last round of admissions.

People living close to the school raised concerns over traffic and parking problems in the area, which they said would be made worse by the expansion.

One of the main bones of contention was the chosen location for a new car park for staff on Lisburne Grove, a small cul-de-sac to the rear of the school.

However, the scheme was voted through by councillors on Monday (January 4, 2021), as one politician said the issues were no different to those at other schools across the county borough.

The decision has been met with dismay by neighbours, one of whom claimed members of the local authority’s planning committee had been presented with inaccurate information about the impact on traffic by officers.

Mark Rees, who lives on Lisburne Grove, said: “I am confident that I can speak for all of the residents in that we believe this decision has been pushed through by the council without much regard for the detrimental effect it will have on the quality of the lives of the local residents and road safety outside the school.

“I am sure that the planning committee members have made a decision based on the information laid before them and they do that honestly and of course in the interest of facilitating the provision of education.

“However, the key information on the effect of projected increases in traffic and the ability of the neighbourhood to sustain that increase has been badly miscalculated.

“The residents and the councillors local to our immediate area are all very angry, not only because committee members and the public have been misled but also because in six years’ time there will be real tangible safety issues that will be impossible for the school and council to mitigate.”

A decision was originally due on the proposals last month, but councillors voted to defer it in order for the traffic and parking concerns to be addressed.

The council’s chief planning officer Lawrence Isted recommended the scheme should be approved for a second time after a lengthy report was published in defence of the access arrangements.

Among those who did speak out against the plans at the virtual meeting, was Little Acton councillor Bill Baldwin, who previously told the committee he had “serious concerns” over the extension.

He said he’d been told by a council traffic officer that the school generates more parking complaints than any other in Wrexham.

During his comments, Cllr Baldwin also echoed claims that committee members had been given inaccurate information.

He said: “The highway safety issues have been totally underplayed. Any member of this committee who’s been down that road at 3pm will know that I am telling you the truth.

“The statement also makes some highly questionable conclusions about likely additional traffic as a result of the extension.

“The traffic predictions within the transport statements are based on a wild assumption that every child has a sibling attending the school, which has the impact of reducing the predicted numbers by 50% of new vehicles being generated by the proposal.

“The figures are being manipulated to make the proposals appear accessible.”

The proposals will result in the creation of a new nursery and improved play facilities, along with the refurbishment of the existing building.

It was suggested that the existing entrance on Barker’s Lane should be used by staff instead of adding an extra access point off Lisburne Grove, but officers said this was not possible for logistical reasons.

Cllr Graham Rogers said the authority had a responsibility to make sure education facilities were fit to meet the demand for places.

He said: “It’s a situation that applies to all councillors within the whole of the borough as regards to dropping off and picking up children during the morning session and the afternoon session.

“I’m pretty sure we can all speak for our particular wards whereby yes, those of us who have got schools in our wards…we’ve all got this problem.

“But as a council, we’ve got a duty to supply education to the generation of tomorrow.

“We all have to accept that we cannot always have what we particularly want in life so we have to adjust accordingly.”

The plans were approved at the end of the debate, with 12 councillors in favour and four abstaining.