Send school expansion in industrial area refused

Plans to convert an office block to expand an independent school for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) have been refused.

In Toto Ed, a specialist education provider, currently runs a school at Fenlake House, an industrial and commercial space in Fengate, Peterborough.

The school, which opened in 2022, applied to convert the adjoining two-storey building to increase capacity from 34 to 48 pupils.

Peterborough City Council's planning team refused the application and cited concerns about the location for the school being unsuitable, alongside a lack of outdoor exercise space and increased noise disturbance.

In its planning application, the provider said the expansion would help meet the "much-needed demand" for Send provision across the city.

The proposal for the Fengate site also included 12 parking spaces for visitors and staff, along with two additional spaces reserved for student pick-up and drop-off.

It stated that the school would provide education for 30 pupils under the age of 16, with the remaining 18 spaces for pupils above 16 years.

No exterior changes would be made to the building located within the industrial estate, the applicant had said.

Peterborough's public health team raised concerns about elevated noise levels and disturbance from surrounding industrial activities and warned that future occupants would likely experience unacceptable impacts on amenity.

Additional objections were made about a lack of adequate outdoor space for physical exercise for the pupils.

The applicant, In Toto Ed, has six months to appeal the decision.

In 2024 Peterborough City Council said in a report that demand for education, health and care plans had increased "significantly", with 2,500 children in the city having one.

In April, plans to build a Send school for up to 25 pupils aged seven to 18 in Conquest Drove, Farcet, near Peterborough, were rejected due to "poor accessibility".

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