Fulford School: Controversial plans to build new teaching block will have 'limited impact' says school

Fulford School’s extension plans have caused controversy in the surrounding area since the initial proposal in April 2021.

The plans to build a new teaching block and access route into the school would divert buses and traffic from Fulfordgate to the Germany Beck housing development.

In July 2021, resident John Heawood told a planning committee: “Like many neighbours I objected not to the school’s expansion but to its transport proposals.”

Mr Heawood added legal action was a possibility.

Now the school has had another proposal accepted, but in the application it was assured it would not affect the local area.

It said: “The proposal alterations are considered to be minor in the context of the scale of the whole development. The proposed alterations would have limited impact to the visual amenity of the school. The impact upon the appearance of the proposed alterations are limited and considered to be acceptable. There would be no harmful impact to the visual amenity of the surrounding area”.

The latest development of the plan will see the curtain glazing replaced with window casements to match the existing windows and the use of grey render to the extension.

The wider project is to allow for the “chronically oversubscribed” school to expand.

Steve Lewis, head teacher of Fulford School, previously said: “I believe we have developed a plan that minimises the impact on both Fulfordgate and Germany Beck, but I acknowledge that they do not completely satisfy either.

“Our buildings currently let pupils down. They deserve better and I’m speaking up for them. Fulford School is chronically oversubscribed. The school was approached by the council to expand to ensure that enough secondary school spaces would be available”.