A PLANNING application for the expansion of Bramhope Primary School is set to be submitted by the end of November.

If the application is successful construction work should start in April next year, with a completion date set for the end of August to early September.

Once the application has been submitted, it will be available on Leeds City Council’s Planning Portal - https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/ for people to view and comment.

A flyer sent out inviting people to a consultation earlier this month said:"Leeds City Council and Leeds Local Education Partnership (LLEP) are excited to let you know that a planning application will soon be submitted for proposed construction works at Bramhope Primary School.

"The proposed development seeks to address a number of challenges at the site and to improve the current facilities to cater for the existing and future needs of the school.

"The works proposed include the following:

• Internal reconfiguration including reorientation so that the main school entrance is off Breary Rise (it is currently off Tredgold Crescent).

• New build extensions in two locations in the KS1 building (a small dining hall extension and a small extension to the general office/staff areas).

• New landscape strategy across the site, including:A landscaped link between the two buildings, the reorganisation and expansion of car parking, perimeter fencing to the full boundary of the school campus, new planting."

Earlier this year councillors approved spending of £1.2m on the expansion. The scheme will see reception places increase from 40 to 60 from September 2022.

A report to Leeds City Council's executive board said: “Bramhope Primary School is an academy, however, as any build scheme would be funded by the local authority, the executive board would need to grant provisional approval for authority to spend to deliver the proposed permanent expansion.”

It added: “The number of families with children under the age of five choosing to live in Bramhope village is increasing leading to a rise in demand for places at the village school, Bramhope Primary School. In addition, a large scale housing development in Breary Lane East, Bramhope, is expected to increase the need for additional primary school places still further in the coming years.”

A consultation finished in January on the proposal which will gradually increase the overall capacity of the school from 280 to 420 pupils. A total of 94 online responses were received - 51 either strongly supported or somewhat supported the proposal, 35 either strongly opposed or somewhat opposed the proposal, and eight neither supported not opposed it. Eighty further consultation responses - 13 emails and a letter signed by 67 signatories - with views, suggestions and concerns were received.