A secondary school and sixth form college has been given the go-ahead to build a new teaching block which will boost its capacity by 300 students to 1,200, even though it will swallow up some Green Belt land.

Altrincham College can now crack on with the 11-classroom extension after Trafford’s planning committee approved the scheme.

Contractor Lancaster Maloney Martin (LMM) will now deliver a two and three-storey building with the extra classrooms as well as a larger kitchen and restaurant, car parking and new fencing.

There will also be additional storerooms, pupil toilets, staff workroom and offices. 

The new build block site is currently occupied by an existing mathematics block, which will be demolished.

Trafford’s head of planning and development Rebecca Coley said the site is bordered by open fields to the west, housing and a garden centre.

“The extension will be carried out over time, rather than all the pupils being involved straight away,” she said. 

She said that the development would cause ‘minor harm’ to nearby Green Belt land.

“However, it is considered that very special circumstances exist to justify the development and outweigh this harm and other harms due to the strong educational needs in the area.”

Ms Coley said the development would not encroach on to existing playing field space.

Cllr Phil Eckersley voiced concern that the proposed additional car parking spaces were numbered at 16 instead of the 22 which is the norm for such developments.

“I know a ‘buddy’ parking system is suggested,” he said. “But I’m not sure that will fully address the shortfall.”

He also said the interim travel plan, drawn up to get pupils to school without the use of vehicles ‘requires further development’.

Ms Coley said planning officers did consider 16 extra car parking spaces was enough given the fact there is a ‘full travel plan condition’ contained in her recommendations.

Cllr Michael Taylor added: “As the local councillor I will be supporting this. I think it’s a great thing for the children in my ward to be educated locally, with hundreds of more spaces.” 

His support was echoed by Coun Dan Jerrome but voiced ‘slight disappointment’ contractor’s inability to commit to energy savings on the scheme.