ROYAL Mail have lost a planning battle to try and stop construction of a new primary school on land adjoining their mail distribution centre at Omega, Warrington.
They lodged an objection to the plan for a replacement school for Barrow Hall Primary School on road safety grounds because peak mail periods would coincide with typical school finishing times, with implications for Royal Maikl meeting its statutory obligations to provide postal services.
Royal Mail employ more than 700 people on the site which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and on average generates a total of 1,230 two-way traffic movements.
The busiest period coincides with school afternoon finishing times.
But Warrington Borough Council’s development management committee approved the plans after heari9ng that highways chiefs were not opposing the scheme and that there were no objections from the Highways Agency.
The committee was told the existing Barrow Hall Primary School had a capacity of 525 pupils, with 65 staff.
The new school would cater for 630 pupils and would have 78 staff.
Planning officers acknowledged Royal Mail’s concerns, but believed that conditions could be imposed to address the issues.
The new school would provide an enhanced learning environment for existing Barrow Hall pupils and provide additional capacity to contribute to meeting wider need in west Warrington
There was a high likelihood of further housing proposals on Omega South and the new school would complement any future residential development.
Picture: A visualisation of the main entrance of the new school.
