Plan for SEND school rejected over traffic concern

Plans to open a new school for up to 250 pupils in Bradford have been refused due to traffic concerns.

Specialist education provider Pivot Academy had applied for planning permission to convert Cumberland House on Cemetery Road into an independent school for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

The building was once part of a large mill complex, but had more recently been used as office space.

The planning application said the new school would have had up to 250 pupils and 110 teaching staff.

It was these numbers that led to concerns being raised by Bradford Council's highways team, who feared the development would not provide the parking or drop-off spaces required by a school of this size.

The application said 50% of students would arrive by minibus, 25% by taxi and 25% on foot.

It said staggered start and end times would be used to mitigate traffic to and from the school.

Referring to this, highways officers said: "The council would have no control over how the school operates and despite intentions this may change over time.

"Experience shows that staggered start and end times are not often viable for schools as they cause inconvenience for parents/carers with children in more than one school year having to arrive/depart at different times."

The local authority also cited "poor" pedestrian access to the site and the building's position in a designated employment zone as further reasons for refusal, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Despite the jobs the school would create, officers said the venture would be classed as "non-employment" use of the site.

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