Residents have praised plans for a new 210-place primary school which has been proposed in a "pioneering" modern development on the edge of Nottingham city centre. One business which has stood on the site for three decades however argues the chosen location is "horrendous".
DHA Planning has now unveiled its proposals at the former CVS site on Trent Lane, for a scheme to provide a new primary school on behalf of construction company Reds10 and the Department for Education, which will be overseeing the development. Plans suggest the construction of a single-storey school for primary school students with a total of 210 places.
There will also be room for 30 nursery pupils, all supported by 21 staff members. The derelict site, once used by a car valet company, is within Trent Basin and the Waterside Redevelopment Zone.
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A huge number of new, eco-friendly homes have been built or are in the pipeline for the 250-acre site which sits on the banks of the River Trent at the south-eastern side of the city. Iain Wilson, who was one of the first to move into the new community five years ago from Bingham, says residents are welcoming of the new school.
His home was built as part of phase one of four. He told Nottinghamshire Live: "Generally the residents are really enthusiastic to see it go ahead.
"I went to the consultation and the plans look very good. It is another piece in the jigsaw in making this location by the water a community. We would like to see it go ahead.
"It is a bit of a slow-burner. It has taken a while longer than people had envisaged."
He did however raise one concern over a business located near to the planned location for the school. "The quite significant concern we have is with a company called Prostrip," he said.
"They regularly produce fumes and also they obstruct the footpath, which is the main entrance to the school, with forklifts and trucks and I feel that has to be resolved before the school goes ahead."
The site is predominantly an industrial area, with a number of long-standing businesses still operating there. Some warehouses were demolished to make way for the regeneration of Trent Basin, but some, like Prostrip, remain.
Responding to these concerns Tim Booth, of Prostrip, says they believe the plans for a school to be a "horrendous" idea. Mr Booth said the paint and rust-stripping business has existed on the site for 31 years and added: "The whole thing is a bit of a shock to us.
"There is the access to it and it is going to create more traffic along Trent Lane big time. We all know what it is life outside schools. It is not ideal.
"It is not an ideal recipe at all. We've been here a long time. We are just trying to make a living."
Mr Booth says some issues may be resolved if another access route from Daleside Road is created, taking pressure of potential school traffic off the route used by industrial vehicles. Plans for a new cycle and pedestrian bridge to take pressure off other routes, such as Trent Bridge, are also still going ahead albeit delayed.
According to planning documents the school will be operated by the Greenwood Academy Trust. Documents state: "It is considered that the proposals are fully in accordance with the development plan, and benefits from the presumption in favour of sustainable development...This is particularly so when acknowledging that for schools proposals, great weight should be given for the need to create, expand or alter schools."
East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles added: “Trent Basin is a pioneering development that is creating a sustainable new community just outside the centre of Nottingham, so it’s exciting to see further plans for expansion.
“Bringing more people to what was once a relatively untapped corner of the city will be welcomed by the businesses already operating nearby, while potentially attracting new companies to the area.
“Building a high-quality school would establish another important asset that can help to encourage talent from outside the city to relocate, which can only be a positive step for the local economy.”
