RICHMOND: School plans get 1,000 objections

Critics say the traffic around the proposed new site for Turing House School on land near Hospital Bridge Road, will put children’s lives at risk.

But more than 600 people have also sent comments of support to the council, which is preparing to make its decision on the plans, urging the authority to consider the need for new school places.

The proposal is to build the 1,050-capacity secondary school (including 300 sixth form places) on the open land and adjacent horticultural nursery.

More than 200 responses were submitted in the first week after the application went live.

A spokesperson from Hospital Bridge Road Resident Action Group, a collection of campaigners who are against the plans, said: “Our message is that you can’t simply ignore the 1,000 – and rising – objections.

RELATED: Planning application for Turing House submitted to council

“Many residents feel very strongly against this development happening in their area.”

Many people from the Whitton area are worried about the safety of the pupils in an area already beset by traffic, and with several other existing schools nearby.

A resident in Stirling Road, which adjoins Hospital Bridge Road, voiced concerns about the added pollution and congestion another school would bring.

She continued: “Add to this the frankly unsafe entrance at the foot of a blind hump-backed bridge shared with a plant nursery that gets regular HGVs!

“Do you want flattened kids? That’s how you get flattened kids.

“It’s contemptible how little consideration has been made for the safety of these pupils.”

Another resident who picked up on the large vehicles using the road, said the application was “actively encouraging death” and another called the plans “an accident waiting to happen”.

RELATED: Residents' anger over plans to move Turing House school to Whitton

A resident in Ashley Drive, another adjoining road, said the increased traffic would lead to residents being made “hostage in [their] homes”.

Other reasons for objection include the loss of Metropolitan Open Land, and the fact that 80% of pupils will come from other parts of the borough. Some said it was unfair that Whitton would suffer the adverse effects of the school without local children benefitting.

But tjhere were also plenty of comments in support of the application, citing a host of reasons including the pressing need for more school places in the borough.

The school has been running from two temporary sites since it opened in 2015, and many commenters paid tribute to their efforts in running such a good school in challenging conditions.

One resident wrote: “Turing House School has been up against it from the very beginning of getting this school up and running.

“However they have gone on, in a temporary site, to be an oversubscribed, Ofsted-rated “good” overall school, with outstanding grades for personal development, behaviour and welfare of students as well as for the effectiveness of leadership and management in three years.

RELATED: Community consultation launched for Turing House School

“Over-subscription should demonstrate that there is demand for more secondary school places within the borough.”

One fiery comment from a resident in Hampton Hill reads: “We understand that there is resistance form what is a minority of Whitton residents, who presumably do not have any children.

“Their arguments are becoming more futile and desperate, with one antagonist suggesting the increased traffic will be dangerous to the children because the site is on busy road.

“Many schools are situated on busy roads- and with careful modifications to the highways this really should not be any problem.”

Other reasons people gave for supporting the application included that the land is not currently accessible, and one suggested that in future the land might be used for housing, which would add even more traffic and increase strain on public services, including school places.

Turing House School did not respond to request for comment.

A decision is expected in May.