The co-chair of a local political party has given their opinion on development plans for a children's severe learning difficulties school in Crewe - expanding for an extra 60 pupils.

Melanie English, co-chair of Cheshire East Green Party, expressed her frustration at Springfield School, Crewe Green Road, for their plans to remove mature trees - making way for the development.

The party aims to protect the environment and campaigns for a more sustainable future in Crewe.

Springfield School wants to expand its sports pavilion, add new classrooms, alter its car park, secure new fencing and automated gates - as well as adding high level fencing to enclose the car park.

Springfield School, Crewe Green Road, wants to expand and alter its car park - affecting trees (Springfield School).

Here's what the representative of the Cheshire East Green Party told Nub News today (August 16):

"Maybe you've seen the submitted plans for Springfield school to extend their buildings and facilities to accommodate 60 extra pupils.

"Maybe like me, you support the general move towards more, and much needed facilities for the children in our community who need more support to be at school.

"This application comes with an added, and in my view, unnecessary cost.

"That of the loss of dozens of mature trees and the associated well used and much loved public amenity space, for local residents. 

"Removing trees, the bank they live on, and adding a 1.8m security fence around the entire extended car park will add a whole new layer of dystopian chic (not the good kind) to the school, a main entrance way into Crewe, and the neighbourhood, already affected negatively by the new housing development on the Crewe Green roundabout.

"This represents another significant and deliberate spoiling of the character of the locale and specifically the first impressions of Crewe to visitors.

"An issue that has been much discussed by our MP, Dr Kieran Mullan.

"In a recent Facebook post (July 29), the MP said: 'Since my earliest involvement in plans to regenerate and help Crewe fulfil its potential one of the challenges has been wider perceptions of Crewe.'

"This proposed car-park development will certainly add to those challenges, and probably more importantly for the residents of the largest and most populated ward in Crewe, the removal of another green space from a ward that is already poorly served for such available spaces. 

"The application's travel plan uses general population data a decade old, to assess motor vehicle use and intends to survey the staff on their actual use AFTER the car park has been built - 'within six months of occupation.'

Melanie English, co-chair of Cheshire East Green Party, is unhappy with the Springfield School plans (Google).

"Surely the wrong way around?

"The plan also clearly states however, that the existing pedestrian and cycle infrastructure and the existing public transport infrastructure in the vicinity of the site is 'considered conducive to encouraging the school population; especially staff to travel sustainably.'

"It might be worth noting at this point that they HAVE assessed the methods used by existing pupils to access the school and conclude that most do not come in private cars, using council provided pick up and drop off services instead that do not need permanent or new car parking spaces.  

"Cheshire East Council's Local Plan Strategy includes a policy about Trees, Hedgerows & Woodland.

"This includes this statement: 'Development proposals which will result in the loss of, or threat to, the continued health or life expectancy of trees, hedgerows or woodlands that provide a significant contribution to the amenity, biodiversity, landscape, character or historic character of the surrounding area, will not normally be permitted.

'Except, where there are clear overriding reasons for allowing the development and there are no suitable alternatives. Where such impacts are unavoidable, development proposals must satisfactorily demonstrate a net environmental gain by appropriate mitigation, compensation or offsetting.'

An earlier CEC environmental campaign sign, just across the road from the trees scheduled to be felled (Geraldina Lee).

"The area DOES provide a significant contribution to the surrounding area, there are NO clear overriding reasons for allowing the development and there ARE suitable alternatives.

"These are objections enough and I haven't even factored in Cheshire East's own target to be a carbon neutral borough by 2045.

"This isn't something that can be achieved later - they've got to start now.

"In the words of Joni Mitchell: 'Don't it always seem to go/ That you don't know what you've got / Till it's gone./ They paved paradise/ And put up a parking lot.'

"I know there might be resistance to describing this small part of Crewe as paradise, but it truly is a case of you won't know what you've got till it's gone.

"It can never become a paradise if we keep cutting down the trees that were planted in good faith over 50 years ago."

The target decision date for the expanded sports pavilion is October 11 (Cheshire East Council).

You can register objections or comments to this planning application before the Thursday 18 August deadline HERE. The target decision date is October 11.

To catch up with the locals campaigns to protect green spaces such as these, check out the Facebook group - Green Spaces 4 Crewe Green, Sydney & East Crewe.

Springfield School have been contacted for comment.

By Ryan Parker

READ MORE: 10 jobs to apply for in Crewe this week.

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