Expansion plans approved for Sunderland's Argyle House School, despite objections

Plans to boost classroom facilities at a Sunderland school have been given the green light by council development chiefs, despite objections from neighbours.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for Argyle House School at 19 – 20 Thornhill Park.

Plans submitted to the council last year aimed to create an extension within the independent school’s complex to be used as an additional classroom.

A design, access and heritage statement submitted to the council at the time said original school buildings had been extended over the years, but that the “tight site” means “further expansion is restricted”.

New plans aimed to address these ‘constraints’ by building a new classroom above an existing two-storey flat-roofed block.

Applicants said the extension would have a floor area of 85 square metres and that as the existing school complex is “predominantly three storeys” the extended block “would be no greater in scale”.

It was also argued that works would not impact the “historical significance” of the site, which was noted to be “limited”.

During a council public consultation exercise on the plans, however, four letters of objection were received from properties at Thornhill Park.

The objectors’ concerns included the “overdevelopment” of the site, loss of light, and visual impacts on the Ashbrooke Conservation Area.

Objectors also raised concerns about the potential for increased pupil and staff numbers leading to further demand for on-street parking, and “exacerbating an existing problem in the area”.

One objector said there were already “chaotic traffic conditions” in Thornhill Park during “both ends of the school day”, with vehicles “jamming the street” and creating access issues for residents.

One objector claimed the school had “effectively overgrown its site” and was “intending to increase its capacity vertically and thus build skywards with the detrimental impact on the street’s skyline”.

Another Thornhill Park resident added: “Clearly the premises are inadequate for the scale of the enterprise that the owners are seeking to operate.

“Local residents should not be made to suffer”.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on January 25, 2024.

Key issues raised by objectors were addressed by council planning officers in a council decision report, including traffic and highway safety.

The council decision report referenced correspondence from the applicant’s agent, which confirmed there would be “no increase in staff or pupil numbers as a direct result of the development”.

However, the council decision report noted that “any future increase that may occur through internal reorganisation would be outside the parameters for the consideration of this application”.

It was noted that the council’s transportation development team had confirmed there were “no objections from a highway safety point of view”.

Council planners added the extension would not have any heritage impacts or impacts on residential amenity.

The council decision report added: “The development will not add any additional footprint to the premises.

“The structure will be contained within the quadrangle of the building and will not extend above roof height of the surrounding wings of the building.

“The extension will therefore not be visible, particularly from street level.

“The conservation team has confirmed that the development will have very minimal impact upon the historic streetscene and there are no concerns from a built heritage point of view.

“As the proposed extension will not extend above the height of the existing surrounding roofs, the structure will not cause any overshadowing of or loss of outlook from the neighbouring residential properties”.

Under planning conditions, the extension plans at Argyle House School must be brought forward within three years.

For more on the planning application and council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/02131/FUL