PROTECT TUNSTALL COMMUNITY

As a local community I am totally against the proposal of relocating and expanding Tunstall School to a site behind Bottom Pond, on Tunstall Road, as there is actually no need for a larger school for the following reasons:-
• The existing school is in the heart of Tunstall and should not be allowed to be moved and increase the local urbanisation.
• They is no need to increase the school size when the birth rate is actually falling in the locality.
• It should not be allowed to be built on green belt land.
• With the increase in traffic in the locality of the school it will cause increased traffic congestion as vehicles try to turn right or left when exiting, at the same time as arrivals to the school will try to gain access using the same single entrance/exit point.
• It will be a high risk danger area for traffic and pedestrian accidents. It is likely that somebody will be injured at some time.
• The fact that it will become a high congestion area it is very likely that parents will not use the parking spaces in the school provided and park in the locality – Tunstall Road, Cranbrook Drive, Chegworth Gardens, Woodstock Road, Cromers Road, Park Drive & Ruins Barn Road and then walk their children into school. This is really what happens in most schools set amongst and close to housing developments.
• The existing school has 60 parking spaces in Tunstall Village hall including 4 disability parking bays and only just copes with the existing traffic volume. The new school has set aside the same number (60) parking spaces with a planned doubling of school places this then becomes non-viable plan and will then once again cause serious congestion and danger in the area as parents attempt to park off site.
• The original plan also had provision for a nursery school on the proposed site, for 30 children. In the second plan this has been dropped, however the land space set aside has not been reduced. In fact by now changing the plan from a single storey development to a more visible 2 storey school it has increased available land space on the site. Therefore at a later stage it is very likely that the nursery will get built, thus increasing the traffic numbers again. This is really confirmed that the Government want to see all children in nursery education from the age of 2.
• The congestion is added to by virtue that traffic in Tunstall Road has increased over recent years with expansion of Kent Science Park – which is expanding continuously. Traffic to and from the KSP from the A249 use the back roads via Oad Street through Tunstall Road to Ruins Barn Road. It is also noticeable how the traffic using Woodstock Road has increased.
• The land is owned by the KCC and it is virtually being given to the CofE to build the school thus minimising the cost to the KCC.