A group planning to open a new school on the former St Joseph’s Convent on Cambridge Park, which received approval earlier in the year, is seeking to increase the number of potential children attending.
The scheme previously received permission to have 150 pupils at the school, but the group now wants to increase that to 260. It also wants to use the convent’s former chapel as a place of worship between 5am and 10pm. It is believed the application is for an Islamic faith school; it also says “the place of worship would be used by mainly pupils of the school (circa 60%) with some non pupils attending (circa 40%)” and that four services would take place during the day.
The site was used as a girls’ primary school from 1918 but closed in 2020, since when the site has been vacant. Comments can be made on the planning application on the Redbridge site, references 2645/25 and 2263/25.
No consideration has been given to the traffic implications in the immediate area that this increase in pupil roll will bring about. Cambridge Park is an urban clearway, which only leaves the surrounding residential streets for parking. The demographic of Wanstead is such that the vast preponderance of pupils would be coning into the School from outlying areas. This seems like pure greed on the part of the people making the application.
Also the planning application is for a mosque on the site. I cannot understand why this has been accepted as the site faces a yellow box, traffic lights and a zebra crossing plus the side road has yellow lines and permit parking . It will cause mayhem as most pupils will be coming from Surrounding area like Leytonstone and on a Friday the mosque will see the surrounding area also trying to park like South Woodford on Friday when both sainsbury s car park +m&s and the bridge and side streets rammed with cars some doubled parked! Surely this is not feasible?
The transport assessment is flawed.
It keeps implying there is currently 150 pupils and they look at the 90 pupils delta to assess impact. The school closed years ago and traffic has got worse. A box junction was (badly) implemented on Cambridge Park because traffic backs up the whole length of the road at peak times.
It does not take into account the projected 170 worshippers into the figures.
The impact needs to be looked at as a whole, not just trying backdoor approval by piecemeal applications.
For anyone who lives near this will be a disaster, who would want to buy a property near a school for 250 children with no parking anywhere near , also good luck with worshippers coming 5am until 10 pm . At certain time the whole area will be gridlocked .
The traffic problem looks like more of a problem than originally envisaged. Surely this cannot go ahead without major changes.
Agree with others, completely unsuitable location/site for this level of use. Will bring (more) gridlock to Cambridge Park, Blake Hall and Gordon Road. I have objected to the two applications that are still open, links below.
260 pupils (from 85 in 2020 when school closed)
https://tinyurl.com/planning2263
170 non-pupil (public) worshippers 4 times per day 5am – 10pm
https://tinyurl.com/planning2645
No to more church schools! Girl segregation, years of. Church school, years of.
Religion should be taught by the parents.
Agree with all of the above, the site and location are completely unsuitable. It was bad enough as a school with 85 pupils and now will be 260 pupils and 170 public worshippers 4 times a day 5am-10pm, including weekends and school holidays. I have objected to both 2263/25 (260 pupils) and 2645/25.
After reading applications they appear obfuscatory, to say the least, as to actual intentions. How are people meant to comment when it is not even clear what is being proposed.
The proposed school, I understand, is a madrasah teaching non statutory Islamic studies to 5-15 year olds after school. Why can this not be simply stated.? It is difficult to believe these other quoted numbers… how many children will likely be attending religious services at 5am or 10pm.? So it would appear that the primary purpose is actually as a place of worship by non-students, ie adults and not a school.
I know the chapel in the former convent and it simply will not accommodate the hundreds proposed. So where are services to take place?
People going to this site will drive. It appears a joke talking about cycle lanes.
Traffic congestion is already chronic along Cambridge park and Blakehall rd. This will add hundreds of cars multiple times each day.
There is minimal parking on site, double yellow lines and residential parking in all nearby streets. So where will all the cars go.?
And if there is no longer need for the statutory education provision once provided on this site, why has this large site not been earmarked for desperately needed housing for local people.?
I will be submitting my objections to this planning application and I suggest you do too. It is not a feasible proposal and will have a detrimental effect on traffic and parking.