Controversial plans for a new school building on a former sports ground in Osterley have been amended in response to local concerns.

Nishkam Schools Trust submitted an application in June to build a school for 1,400 pupils on the old Conquest Club site, in Syon Lane.

But it has now made a number of changes to the proposals, largely to address worries about the impact on traffic and parking in the area.

Campaign group Keep Osterley Green (KOG), which opposes the plans, claims the amendments are proof the original application was "fundamentally flawed" as the trust had failed to adequately consult local residents.

It says the changes would not improve the situation "in any way" and insists there are many more suitable sites available for the school, even though the trust claims it only settled on the location after a comprehensive search.

The changes to the proposals include:

  • introducing a 20mph speed limit on Syon Lane
  • creating a right-hand turn lane on Syon Lane
  • providing at least three school buses each day
  • creating a 'park and stride' scheme, with drop-off points for parents at Wyke Green Garden Centre, Osterley Hotel and Tesco
  • creating a new footway between Braybourne Drive and the site, including dropped kerbs
  • making footway improvements on Syon Lane between the site and Tesco
  • creating a zebra crossing at the new entrance to the site

Nishkam says Hounslow Council will shortly reopen its statutory consultation as a result of the changes and has agreed to an extended consultation period. The trust also says it will distribute more information to local residents and host a Q&A session.

The proposed building would house Nishkam School West London (NSWL), an all-through Sikh ethos school which will soon outgrow its current home at an old office block in London Road, Isleworth.

Nishkam says the local community would have access to the facilities, including a sports hall, football pitch and multi-use games area.

Brin Mahon, chair of governors at NSWL, said: "Whilst we know we want to help Hounslow provide the extra school places the borough desperately needs, we also have to ensure that we provide the best deal for local residents.

"That is why we have gone back, looked at the plans again and made further enhancements to reflect local feedback."

'The wrong place for a school'

A spokesman for KOG said nearly 1,000 people in the area had now signed its petition opposing plans for the new school building.

"The Nishkam Schools Trust and Education Funding Agency (which funds new schools) have worked largely in the shadows for three years, regarded this as a done-deal and treated residents with disdain," he added.

"They must realise this is simply the wrong place for a school. This proposal fails on so many fronts such as sustainability and traffic, and does not meet the needs of the local student catchment.

"Many alternative, suitable sites are available and let's not forget the council has run two rigorous assessments and rejected this site. Whilst we are somewhat bemused NST wish to consult residents after they submitted the application we welcome the dialogue."

The group argues the application documents, including the traffic assessment and the sequential test to identify a site, are "deeply flawed".

It says it expects the school to cause at least an extra 1,500 car journeys each morning and the 79 parking spaces planned are too few for the 169 staff.

While it welcomes plans for a 20mph limit on Syon Lane, it says this would already happen under council proposals to impose this limit on all but the borough's major arterial roads.

As for the other changes to the proposals, it claims many of these could actually add to congestion or could damage the local ecology by reducing green verges.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "It has been a long road to get to this point and identify the right site for this much needed school.

"However, after over two years of looking at every site in the borough which met the size criteria for this school, we have found the one that works.

"The DfE has subsequently been working closely with Nishkam to make sure that the new school is as sustainable as possible to have a long term future in Hounslow."

More information on the latest plans is available at www.nishkamschooltrust.org/anewhomefornishkam where residents can also leave their feedback.