Site Access Hazards
The entrance to the school itself would be via a single-track access road over a bridge with very narrow pavements. All pupils will enter the site using this route; all buses and vehicles will enter and exit using the same narrow route.
TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) have expressed concerns about the ‘suitability of access’ to the proposed site commenting that:
“The geometry of the left turn around the clock tower also creates an additional conflict, which may require this manoeuvre to be permanently signalised or for the school to…. manage all vehicular movements around this corner at arrival and departure times”
[TfGM consultation response– 01.09.2015]
Realistically – even if traffic movements are managed & signalised – how long before an accident happens? How long before damage is done to the clock tower – damage that may well result in the building being demolished due to ‘health & safety’ issues? These issues would place pupils at the proposed site at far greater risk than those children currently face in Uppermill.
TRAPPED! If the dam at nearby Diggle Reservoir breaches, there will be no escape route from the school - pupils will be trapped between a main river & a canal.
Flood depth if Diggle Reservoir fails
The school will be located below the canal wall (to the rear) and with only a single narrow bridge entrance/exit over Diggle river (to the front). The Environment Agency have modelled the river depths, extent & speed if the reservoir breaches (see opposite image)
- Even though the chances of this happening are low, the consequences if it did happen would be much magnified by locating buildings containing 1800 vulnerable users, sandwiched between a river & canal just a Kilometre away from the source of the breach!
Planning reports reflect the blase′ & dismissive attitude shown by Oldham Council & the ESFA concerning the added risk to life i.e. the impact of adding another 1800 lives to the current headcount at risk:
“the area impacted downstream is considerable and of an urban nature and therefore would already include areas where human life could be endangered. Based on the above it can be demonstrated that the construction of the new school building will not change the already high risk” [WYG Flood Risk Assessment]
....except that it will - since it concentrates 1800 pupils between two waterways - with no means of escape if both waterbodies were innundated when the reservoir fails! There is only one access to the school at the front - via a road-bridge over the river. Plus, If the canal over-tops – since the canal is raised above the school – water could run down into the school & block/obstruct the exit to the rear. With the other egress from the site (the single road bridge to the front) blocked – children would be trapped on site.
How can the ESFA & Oldham Council even begin to argue that this is acceptable?