AFTER a long debate that featured the concerns of local residents and dramatic rhetoric from councillors the green light has been given to building a new secondary school in Grays.

Planning permission for the new Orsett Heath Academy was granted at a meeting of Thurrock Council's planning committee last night – though most of the councillors who eventually voted for the proposal expressed their concerns about traffic issues.

Had the need for more secondary school places in Thurrock not been so pressing it appeared certain that the scheme would have been deferred at best – or even rejected – but even though traffic officers admitted they have not prepared the traffic scheme with the worst scenario to the fore, councillors decided they had no choice but to press ahead.

There was a great deal of concern about the likelihood that the new school, which will accommodate 1,200 pupils on land currently occupied by Thurrock Rugby Club's junior pitches adjacent to the A1013 (Stanford Road), will create traffic problems as parents who drive their children to school will ignore a planned drop and pick up point and instead pull up and block adjacent local roads or even stop on the main carriageway.

Councillors fired a series of questions to transport officer Julian Howes about traffic issues and he conceded that the scheme was not designed with the worst fears in mind, but that if they happened then the council would react and make changes. "Parking restrictions might be retrospective" he said. "We can't say a problem will occur until it actually does. We are hoping the parking problems won't be significant. It's wrong to come in here first and say there is a problem."

Cllr Mike Fletcher was among those most concerned about the apparent lack of concern about pick up and drop off problems, saying 'hope' wasn't really good enough. He added: "Officers seem surprised that we are taking a lot of time on traffic. But the downside of not getting this straight now is kids getting knocked down by cars.

"For me the art of good planning is preparing for the worst – I would rather not wait and see what problems arrive. I would be more reassured to hear you say you have looked at the risks."

Cllr Gary Byrne was even more dramatic, saying: "We do need a school but anyone who asks me to vote for something that could mean we have a dead child on our hands is wrong. I can't vote for this, we have to sort the access out."

Mr Howes and his planning colleague Nadia Houghton had presented details of the application to the committee, saying that the main entrance to the school would be created off the A1013 opposite the current lane that accesses the rear of Treetops School. The junction would also become a new main access to Treetops.

It will be a new wider junction with two lanes for passing traffic and a third slip road into and from the Orsett Heath school would be created – managed by traffic lights. A pedestrian crossing would also be incorporated.

Cllr Georgette Polley asked if it would not be better to have a footbridge for pedestrians crossing the busy road by Mr Howes said: "In an ideal world, yes. But there is a limit on space and a footbridge will cost a significant amount of money."

She also said: "We very much need to listen to residents to make sure that parents use the drop off and pick up points then."

Councillors pointed out that it was likely that parents dropping or picking up children would most likely choose not to use the junction and go into the school area but would drop their children at points including King Edward Drive to the east and around Blackshots Lane and Long Lane and other feeder roads close to the school in the west.

Mr Howes said that would not be particularly problematic and was quite specific about King Edward Drive, saying: "It is pretty wide. I wouldn't be concerned on safety grounds if someone stopped 50 yards down it to drop their kids off."

Committee chair Cllr Tom Kelly was clearly concerned about this. His view on King Edward Drive was straightforward, saying: "It's going to annihilate people driving on King Edward Drive. People stopping is going to happen, parents dropping kids off are pretty ruthless. To be honest I think we are in trouble here."

The concerns about the problems on King Edward Drive and the whole Woodlands area affected by the new school – which will be the neighbour of existing schools Treetops Special School (currently being expanded) and Woodside Primary and the currently-under-construction Thames Park secondary at the other end of Kind Edward Drive – were expressed by local resident Mike Gamble.

He told the meeting: "Stanford Road is the main route across the borough. During peak periods there is a continuous traffic flow in both directions and additional traffic control, which is not necessary now, will create traffic problems residents trying to get to work.

"It would be dangerous to expose this road to the irresponsible and aggressive parking that we all know will take place as children are dropped off and picked up."

Mr Gamble also claimed the local environment would be dangerous to children, saying: "Thurrock Council over the last decade has opposed the building of the Lower Thames Crossing as it will increase traffic pollution in the area and will endanger the health of residents. Children are residents.

"By supporting the positioning of a school within the horseshoe of the Lower Thames Crossing, the A13 and Stanford Road - all major roads spewing out traffic pollution is a contradiction of this opposition."

And he went on to question the veracity of the whole application, recalling the building of a new block on rugby club land to accommodate a wave of year seven pupils in the last academic year as an intermediary measure, saying it had been manufactured to create a false situation in order to solve the council's shortage of school places at the expense of his neighbourhood.

Mr Gamble said: ""There are no special circumstances to support the building of a school on this green belt land.

"The area is well served by educational facilities as, within one mile of this site there are four secondary schools, a sixth form college, a special needs school and six primary schools.

"The building of temporary classrooms, financed by the council, at Thurrock Rugby Club is a manufactured situation and cannot be a special circumstance.

"It was to relieve a critical shortage of school places in all of Thurrock. It is beyond my understanding of how building temporary isolated classrooms in Blackshots was going to solve a borough wide problem.

"The Academy claimed that if it did not go ahead for 2019 it would have 'catastrophic consequences for Thurrock'.

"By using existing schools this catastrophe did not materialise and costs were met by the council. This was in addition to the rumoured £3 million to pay for classrooms at the rugby club which played no part in resolving the crisis of 2019.

"Naming the isolated temporary classrooms as Orsett Heath Academy and putting selected pupils in temporary classrooms in 2020 over a year before this application had been made is alarming.

"The planning officers' report on the current application refers to the temporary classrooms as Phase One, even though it was financed by the council. It is not part of the free schools programme and appears to be unregulated.

"It is not without good reason that I see this whole scenario as a blatant and deliberate action to influence this application. There is no other feasible explanation.

"It is a completely manufactured and seriously flawed situation and therefore not a special circumstance that would allow an inappropriate building in the green belt.

"It would be wrong in principle for this to be given credit as leverage in favour of this application and I believe this application should be set aside."

Ward councillor Joy Redsell also address the meeting, and said she was a supporter of the new school plan – even with a few reservations about traffic – and she praised officers for their work in consulting with local residents.

"We have had lots of talks with the school trust and they have been very open with the residents", she said.

However, she did highlight the traffic problems, particularly people and pupils approaching the school through the Stifford Clays area including Long Lane and Blackshots Lane and she said she wanted it 'written in stone' that every effort would be made to make sure parents used drop off and pick up points.

Cllr Steve Liddiard also expressed his concern about traffic approaching from the west through Stifford Clays, saying: "My guess is an awful lot of drivers will be coming up Long Lane to the rugby club. And possibly to Blackshots car park.

"That will be a preferred route for a lot of people and will cause a lot of problems."

The CEO of the South West Essex Community Education Trust, Stephen Munday, spoke about the application he believes is a huge boost to the borough community.

He said: "I am delighted to be here this evening to support this critical educational infrastructure project.

"In the five years following approval by the Department for Education time has been spent diligently developing the very best scheme possible, following extensive and constructive dialogue with Thurrock planning, highways and other officers, ward councillors and wider stakeholders.

"This comprehensive consultation has ensured that the scheme maximises the widest possible benefit from this enormous capital investment in our borough's young people.

Having worked in Thurrock schools for over 20 years, like many families I am acutely aware of the increasing pressure on school places.

"In recent years we have seen most Thurrock secondary schools pushed above their intended capacity, including William Edwards which is also within our trust.

"It is currently accommodating 1,250 pupils in a building originally intended for 800.

"As housing development continues at pace and the local plan comes to fruition, the need for school places will grow further still.

"Following a successful pre-opening inspection by Ofsted and with full regulatory approval from the Department for education, Orsett Heath Academy opened to a full initial cohort of 120 pupils in September 2020 despite the challenges of the pandemic and a second full cohort joined in 2021.

"Applications for September 22 are higher still.

"Orsett Heath is one of the few new schools in the country, approved and funded by the Department for Education, to immediately fill up - clearly evidencing the quality of offer in place and the need for the main site development."

Mr Munday went on to speak about the drop off and pick up issues, saying: "The proposed 160 car parking spaces and large flow capacity will be greater than at any other school in the borough.

"The existing partnership parking at Thurrock Rugby Club where some school staff will continue to park means that the traffic capacity at the proposed main site will be enhanced even further,

Crucially, it means that those parents who need to drop their children by car - modelling shows 35 per cent - getting off the highway will be the easiest way to do it.

"The multiple pedestrian entrances and routes into the school will also mean that, coupled with staggered start times and extensive covered bike sheds, there will not be the congestion seen at other schools during drop off and pick up.

"The new junction will provide excellent access to Orsett Heath (and Treetops) whilst solving the historic congestion in King Edward Drive. The concerns that were raised when I was last in this chamber have been listened to and acted upon."

Following up on Mr Gamble's point about air quality, Mr Munday said: "A full air quality assessment was submitted with the application and the council's environmental health officer has no objection in relation to air quality.

"In conclusion the time taken to develop this scheme has yielded an exceptional proposal that exceeds expectations in all areas. I recommend it to you unreservedly."

Despite Mr Munday's conviction and assurances, some councillors remained worried.

Cllr Fletcher said: "All of us agree we are short of school places. We clearly need to do more but whether we need it here, I am not entirely sure. We need to know where the extra school places are needed and with five schools in the area already I am not sure this is it."

Steve Taylor, a non-voting committee member representing CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known as the Campaign to Protect Rural England, returned to the issue of parking and said: "We are 'hoping' that there will not be problems which is a concern to me. Hoping is not a way to carry one. This could put us in the same place as all the other schools.

"If you look at Stanford Road between 8 and 9am it is solid. How putting more traffic on that road can improve the situation trouble me – but we are 'hoping'."

Cllr Lee Watson made the same point, saying: "With a capacity of 1,200 pupils you are going to have so much more traffic there, including going to Treetops, and it will all be between 8.30am and a quarter to nine! I am concerned."

As the debate drew to a conclusion prior to a vote, Cllr James Halden summed up his view. Cllr Halden was a former portfolio holder for education and was involved in the initial concept for new schools in the borough.

He said: "Five years ago we started talking about the school and we are not yet at the point of putting a spade in the ground.

"I get all the arguments about pollution but there is no such thing as an ideal location.

"I get some of the concerns, particularly about parking and yes, it's less than ideal and that is why we have had a lengthy debate.

"All schools in Thurrock have intense road flow issues and the question is how you mitigate them.

"These are issues that you can't fix, you can only mitigate against them which is being done.

"Looking at the totality of what this application represents I have heard all the arguments and I am still enthusiastically in favour."

When it came to a vote the application was approved by six votes to two, with just Cllrs Byrne and Fletcher against.