Traffic fears over plans to convert Havant office block into a new school

Plans for dropping off and picking up 70 students at McCormack House have been updated but residents still have fears over the chaos in the car parks and crossing East Street. Acorn Education and Care, owned by Outcomes First Group Ltd, is waiting for the outcome of its planning application submitted to Havant Borough Council It wants to turn the office block into a special needs school which would have 40 staff and 70 students, aged 11 to 18 years old, who will be dropped off by taxi and arrive from all over Hampshire.

The last drop-off and pick-up plans were criticised by local residents with staggered arrival times from 8am to 9.30am and departure from 2.30pm to 4pm, with fears over queuing taxis backing onto a busy East Street. There is a four-way staggered junction and two bus stops on either side of East Street by the entrance to the site causing concern due to the lack of visibility.

The building with its car park, half owned by the council and half by McCormack House, is 300 metres from the town centre. Local residents have re-emphasised their fears that there will be car parking chaos affecting the users of the cycling and walking paths that cut across the car park.

St Faiths residents Cllr Sharon Collings (Reform UK, Leigh Park Central and West Leigh) and April Williams said “safety first” over the new plans. They have two main areas of concern. The first is the turning circle for taxis which the developer has proposed to keep cars off the road. Cllr Collings said it is located in the McCormack House-owned area of the car park, getting in the way of those using the public rights of way and cars parking.

Plans showed taxis would drive through the council-owned Town End House car park at 5mph before turning around in the far car park and dropping off the students by the entrance. The revised documents also said it allows queuing and drop-off within the site with students being met by two members of staff. The second issue the residents raised is the impact on the already busy East Street, with fears over people crossing safely with the loss of the lollipop man of 24 years.

Hampshire County Council has also submitted its findings on the new proposals from Acorn. It said it had looked at the revised drop-off plans and said the development is expected to create an extra 55 trips during the peak hour and 158 trips over the course of the day. It agrees the “importance of reducing traffic generation” as much as possible and maximising sustainable staff and visitor travel choices.

Cllr Collings fears that queuing taxis would cause a temporary obstruction to users of the car park and walkers, joggers and cyclists during pick-up and drop-off. She said she had already witnessed near misses in the car park and the taxis could cause a temporary blockage for 90 minutes, twice a day, for 200 days a year.

The county council did not report issues in the car park from users, but did suggest the vegetation be cut back around the turning circle to improve visibility from users of the cycle and walking paths and drivers.

Of East Street congestion, Cllr Collings said: “Drivers fly over the bridge and don’t have enough stopping time.”

Having counted 87 pedestrian crossings on the road with 709 car movements between 3pm and 4pm on September 18, she suggested a zebra or pelican crossing where the lollipop man used to be and speed cameras to make it safer. She also mooted the idea of building the school at a site in Waterlooville instead.

The county council said Acorn should pay a £20,416.90 contribution to mitigate harm on the Park Road corridor and within the town centre, as it is an area which is already subject to significant congestion during peak periods.

Hampshire Highways would use funds for existing projects in the area to help reduce car use, including pedestrian and cycle improvements from Harts Farm Way along the Solent Road Corridor. A replacement for the retired school crossing patrol is being advertised.

To read the latest on planning application, visit Havant Borough Council’s planning portal with the reference APP/23/00996.