A GRAYS school has been granted temporary planning permission to install two new classrooms for children with special educational needs (SEN), despite objections from nearby residents over traffic and pollution.

Treetops School, in Buxton Road, will add a double demountable classroom unit to the western edge of its site for a period of three years. The new building will accommodate seven additional SEN pupils and will include two classrooms, quiet rooms, toilets, storage, and a lobby.

The classrooms will be sited next to an existing temporary building, on the edge of the school's car park and landscaped area. Planning officers said the location was chosen to minimise disruption to neighbours and ensure no formal play areas or playing fields are affected.

However, residents living near the school have raised concerns about increased traffic and noise, particularly on Buxton Road, which they say continues to be used by school minibuses and taxis despite the construction of a new access road from Stanford Road.

Ricky Cranefield, a Buxton Road resident, said: "A very expensive road has been built as an alternative entrance to the school, yet minibuses still use Buxton Road because it's quicker. We're concerned that extra construction traffic will also use Buxton Road rather than the new purpose-built road."

Fellow resident Tina Hill added: "We've been putting up with taxis and parents driving down the road, which is an accident waiting to happen. We were told Buxton Road wouldn't have all the traffic once the new road was built, but it's still here. Now you want to bring more traffic, noise and pollution by putting up another building. I totally object."

The school campus includes Beacon Hill Academy for post-16 pupils with complex learning difficulties, Treetops School for children aged three to 19 with moderate learning needs, and the newer Treetops Free School for secondary-aged SEN pupils.

Planning officers acknowledged the site lies within the metropolitan green belt and the proposal constitutes inappropriate development. However, they concluded that "very special circumstances" — namely the need for additional SEN provision — outweighed any harm, and that the temporary classrooms would not significantly impact neighbour amenity, landscape, or highways.

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