Plan for new riverside school rejected
Proposed Pier House School fails to gain planning permission
The planning application in question sought to convert The Pier House into a preparatory school for up to 420 boys and girls aged 5-13 years.
Situated
in one of Chiswick’s most picturesque settings, the recently refurbished
Pier House currently houses the IMG Business Centre (see picture left).
Alpha Plus, the group who run Falcons Schools, were proposing to launch
the new school in September 2004.
However, there were a significant number of objections from local residents over noise and traffic which led Council planners operating under delegated powers to reject the application.
The Pier House is situated within the Strand on The Green Conservation area on a narrow stretch of road, close to the North side of Kew Bridge. Traffic is already heavy and cars park on both sides of the road.
At present, Strand on the Green has one state primary school for 350 pupils situated in the same area and, like most Chiswick schools, not only has its share of traffic problems, but it is regularly over-subscribed. Schools in the private sector in Chiswick also generally have long waiting lists so many local parents welcomed the proposed new option as an alternative to educating their children outside the area.
A spokesman for the Council has insisted that the borough education plan ensures that there will be sufficient places for children in local schools.
August 16, 2003
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Plan for new riverside school meets opposition