PLANNING chiefs have approved a £22m scheme for St Ambrose College for a second time after residents indicated they planned to seek legal action.

In May, the borough’s planning committee agreed to give the Hale Barns school the go-ahead to demolish its existing outmoded premises and rebuild on another part of the site off Hale Road.

But the plans came back to the committee on September 9 after residents, who opposed the plans, approached the council and indicated that they intended to seek a Judicial Review.

At the meeting councillors stuck by their original decision and approved the plans with a two-thirds majority.

The scheme includes a three-storey building in the shape of a Celtic cross, a sports centre, swimming pool, chapel, two rugby pitches an all-weather pitch with floodlighting and junior football pitch.

Ashmeade resident John Kidd, whose garden backs onto the site, told the committee that he was not against a new school but the plans were ‘too large, too close and too high’.

He said pupils would be able to look directly into his and his neighbours’ properties and criticised the visual intrusion and noise disturbance.

He was supported by ward councillor Patrick Myers, who said: “The school is falling down and has to be replaced, nobody is arguing with that, the problem is it is just too close to the properties in Ashmeade and Broad Lane.”

But school governor Robin Haig said the new building, funded by a Government grant under the Pathfinder project, was a ‘fantastic opportunity’ for Trafford and Cllr Daniel Bunting said it would be a ‘wonderful opportunity’.

Speaking after the decision, headteacher Michael Thompson said the plans would create a ‘beacon school for the future’ that would benefit families for generations.