Is disruption due to building works a valid planning objection?

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Local school is to be completely rebuilt on the same site.

The residents' consultation was this week. OMG it was bedlam.

The residents basically don't want a school there at all and seem to think if they can get the planning application rejected the school will close. This is clearly not the case, in the unlikely event that the new build isn't possible, they'll have to refurbish the old building.

Apart from that the main objection is the disruption, noise and dust from the works themselves and the lorries. I understand this, it will be significant and I wouldn't want to live close either. Works are expected to take 52 weeks. However, I'm not sure it's a reason to decline the planning application?

You can object on that basis but since it's a) a school and b) is replacing an existing school building then their objections aren't going to stop the works going ahead and won't stop planning permission being granted. They will just come across as NIMBYs to be honest - the local planning authority will see through them a mile off and unless one of those residents complaining happens to also sit on the planning committee they haven't really got any power.

All will happen is that the planning permission will have certain restrictions placed on it - ie working hours, construction traffic being only able to enter/exit from certain points and certain times of day, they might require a wheel wash station to prevent dust/dirt on the roads etc

A school near me had a new wing added it was amazingly quick and painless for neighbours. It was pre fabricated off site and just assembled on site. They did it in the 6 week summer holiday.

The residents basically don't want a school there at all and seem to think if they can get the planning application rejected the school will close.

Presumably if the school is old enough to be rebuilt, it was there when these people bought their homes?

Is the loss/ benefit to the pupils of no concern at all? Where would all these extra pupils go to school if this closes?

My understanding is construction issues aren't a valid planning objection (unfortunately) they will most likely be expected to have a management plan in place and to stick with any council codes of conduct and residents would be advised to try and get that written into planning conditions. I'm on year 4 living next to a building site, fun it is not....

No it’s not a material consideration. Construction noise/ dust is expected with any construction projects and are mitigated usually with a condition stating when constructions can occur and with a larger scale project, a construction management plan. I’ll be shocked if a replacement of a local school is rejected by planning

@Mamette

The residents basically don't want a school there at all and seem to think if they can get the planning application rejected the school will close.

Presumably if the school is old enough to be rebuilt, it was there when these people bought their homes?

Is the loss/ benefit to the pupils of no concern at all? Where would all these extra pupils go to school if this closes?

It's a specialist school, most of the students aren't local. Yes the building was there when the residents moved in, but TBF living by a school has changed significantly over the last 30 years.

My parents live by a primary school. When they moved in it was 2 form entry, open 9-3 and almost everyone walked to school. Now it's 4 form entry, open 7:30- 6:30 and (it seems) almost no one walks to school.

If the issue with living next to a school is the volume of school traffic then a new build should help to address this - traffic will be looked at by planning and this is actually a great opportunity to ask questions about provision for public transport, active travel, restrictions on car traffic, etc. There is loads that can be done if you push for it to be looked at and make it clear you're actually open to solving the problem rather than just having a whinge.

I think anyone who seriously imagines that if the project doesn't get planning this will all just magically go away has got to be more realistic. Public buildings don't get replaced just for the hell of it and definitely not when there's no real need for them to exist at all. By the time a planning application goes in there will already have been lots of design work done specifically taking into account the sorts of things planning will ask for. In the unlikely event that they've got something wrong and permission is rejected they will go back to the drawing board, make some changes, and resubmit the application. This will be a big team of professionals who need to get the job done, not some wannabe property developer hoping to build 7 houses in his back garden.