April 27, 2022, In Your Area: Nearly 160 sign petition opposing Widnes special needs school https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/nearly-160-sign-petition-opposing-widnes-special-needs-school/
Plans to build a school on Widnes greenspace have prompted a mixed reaction from the public ahead of a meeting to decide whether to give the project the green light.
If approved, The Raise Academy would serve up to 64 children of high school age with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) from Halton and St Helens. …
Planning chiefs on Halton Borough Council’s development management committee (DMC) are due to decide whether to grant permission and to mull the mixed bag of representations made by residents.
A report published ahead of the meeting said the project has prompted 16 objections plus a petition signed 159 times in opposition to the plans, contrasted against 14 messages of support that said the area needs a new SEND school.
Opponents listed concerns including loss of greenspace and trees, construction dust and noise, parking issues and traffic safety, the “effect of EMF (electromagnetic field) emissions from substation”, and the risk of antisocial behaviour in the car park out of hours plus “problems caused by students to residents and their property in the nearby vicinity including vandalism and trespass”.)
The council planning officer who wrote the report disputed that the school would result in antisocial behaviour or crime and said no evidence had been provided to indicate as such….
