Proposals for Portchester school to expand due to increase in catchment area

THE enlargement of a school in Portchester has raised some concern.
Picture from the schools website from the Dads Afternoon eventPicture from the schools website from the Dads Afternoon event
Picture from the schools website from the Dads Afternoon event

Plans for additional buildings at Northern Infant School in Richmond Rise have been proposed after the school had to offer more places in reception from last September because of an increase in the number of children in the school’s catchment area.

Residents are worried that the increase in places will mean there won’t be enough space to feed all students in to the junior school and traffic congestion is also an issue.

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Sarah McInnes, 35, parent of a child at Northern Infant School said: ‘I think it’s necessary and I welcome the plans. The need for school places in this area is rising. My only concern is the parking.

‘There needs to be better parking around the area because it’s horrendous getting parked near the school.’

Hampshire County Council held a consultation into the plans and stated within a consultation document that it understood residents’ concerns.

It read: ‘The county council appreciates that local residents will be concerned about potential traffic implications around the expansion of the schools.

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‘The School Travel Plan is a document produced by the whole school community and any other interested parties.

‘It looks at how children, staff and visitors travel to and from school.

‘It will be reviewed as part of the process associated with the enlargement of the schools.’

Liberal Democrat Councillor Roger Price, of Portchester East, added: ‘With the numbers of children requiring school places then the school has to expand to provide that and it is the right way of going ahead to make sure that we have the places that are needed.

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‘I think that the extra traffic that it generates then has to try and be dealt with in the School Travel Plan.

Parents park their cars on double yellow lines, on zigzags and pavements and they just cause mayhem outside schools, certainly in Portchester.’