Shropshire Star

Residents angry at Oswestry School playing field parking trial

A private school in Oswestry has angered local residents by marking out a car park on a playing fields with staff parking right up to garden fences.

Published
Cars parked on the school playing fields

Last year a planning application was put in by Oswestry School, to extend a car park on its playing fields which is site of a famous battle which gave Oswestry its name.

Objections were made to the application, which was reduced from 42 bays to 27, before it was withdrawn by the school.

On Friday, residents were shocked to discover that a number of parking bays had been marked out on the field with cars parking in the bays right up to their boundary fences.

Cars parked on the school playing fields

At the same time the parking spaces located on the side of the road near the school had been coned off.

One resident, Andrew Field, contacted Shropshire Council Highways, and took the issue up with the school.

He questioned how they were allowed to do this without planning permission and without consulting with residents.

He said residents would be making a petition about the move, however Oswestry School has hit back.

The school said this was a temporary parking trial on private land, and they can use the land for such purposes on an ad hoc basis for up to 28 days per annum.

They will now be submitting a new planning application for a car park.

Headmaster Julian Noad said: "I am delighted to report that our roll is climbing, such that we are close to our intended maximum.

"Additionally, the use by others of the school’s facilities brings additional visitors. Perhaps inevitably, there have been concerns about traffic congestion on Upper Brook Street by Oswestry School. The school has been looking at ways to address this.

"On Friday, Oswestry School trialled a new parking arrangement with a view to a planning application in due course. I am delighted to report that we were able to collect a good deal of feedback which will be used to improve our plan. Importantly, there was no evidence of traffic hold up on the morning in question.

"The planning application, when submitted, will be part of a wider transport management strategy, which includes use of buses, bikes and feet.

"Pupil safeguarding, public safety and longer term environmental impact are paramount in our thinking.

"Furthermore, the small extension of the car park onto an unused corner of our playing field is just one small part of access design changes which will facilitate parking and drop-off on both sides of the road.

"Local residents and those passing through should find their passage much improved."