TEIGNMOUTH’S Trinity School, in Buckeridge Road, has been given the go-ahead to have an ancillary car park.

Teignbridge Council Planning Committee, on Tuesday, voted 18-2 in favour after hearing a site inspection team’s report.

For the school, Rose Tripp said that with high volume of pedestrians and vehicular traffic going to the school at the same time, the car park was a practical solution to improving safety.

Ms Tripp said the school was keen to work with the council on all matters of pedestrian safety around the school and she believed a 7.45am-6.15pm time limit on Mondays-Fridays would reduce the impact on residents to a reasonable level.

Cllr Beryl Austen said currently the area was scrubland and she was sure the ancillary car park would be an improvement to the whole situation, which at times had been dangerous.

Cllr Jackie Brodie felt it was sad that a school was using part of its land to provide a car park and potentially encourage more people to drive.

‘I can see the benefit that a further section of road (Buckeridge) will now have a pavement and I cannot see any reason to refuse it on planning grounds,’ she stated.

There was concern from Cllr Jacqui Orme for residents living near the school entrance, with fumes from vehicles entering their premises.

‘We are between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately it is parents who park indiscriminately who cause the problem,’ said Cllr Orme.

The meeting heard that highways engineers considered the proposal would enable the nursery school staff and parents to park and access the nursery safely, helping to alleviate the dangers of traffic parking in Buckeridge Road by reducing on street parking and the number of children walking along the road to the nursery.

Among six conditions members agreed to a 7.45am-6.15pm weekday time limit.