Plans to erect seven temporary classrooms at a city school have been given the go-ahead, in spite of residents’ objections.
The planning application for the extra rooms at Rockwell High was approved by Dundee City Council’s development management committee.
The site will host the decanted Harris Academy for the next three years while its Perth Road building is being replaced. Included in the proposal was a plan to install a 1.8 metre fence.
According to the application it is “to be erected along the eastern boundary of the site on top of the existing 1.2m wall to alleviate any potential issues of overlooking of the properties at Rockwell Place.”
The application said: “The position of the units and the erection of additional boundary fencing shall alleviate any concerns with overshadowing or overlooking with the fencing acting as an acoustic barrier should any noise instances occur.”
The efforts to minimise noise and overshadowing were opposed by neighbours on different grounds.
Douglas Fleming told The Courier: “They can’t put a fence on that wall. It’s not their wall. The boundary wall is the responsibility of the row of residents in Rockwell Place who incur a share of the cost of repairs and its upkeep.
“Me and my neighbour put in an objection. We are responsible for the maintenance of the wall and it’s in our title deeds.”
Mr Fleming said the last time a school was decanted to the Rockwell site a fence had been erected inside the school grounds which did not touch the wall and he called for it to be reinstated.
He said: “There was a high fence about 10 yards from the boundary wall put in place within a few months of St Johns being decanted into Rockwell School. This stopped any damage to the wall by pupils.
“This time they’ve put the foundations (for the classrooms) right up against the wall.
“This fence has been removed to build modular classrooms in that area which means the pupils, ourselves, the boundary wall and our properties are once again at risk.”
The planning application states that most of the units will be stacked two-high, with a single-storey unit closest to the boundary.
Mr Fleming called on the modular classrooms to be built in the other playground where he said there was plenty of room.
However, none of the objectors attended the committee meeting. At the meeting Councillor Laurie Bidwell asked if the height of the fence followed planning guidelines.
He said: “The fence together with the existing wall will be in excess of the height we normally approve on a planning basis. It didn’t seem to me that that exception was emphasised.”
A planning officer replied: “There is no such standard. Fences up to 1.8m do not require planning permission but those over do. We think it’s entirely appropriate at this location.”
The application was approved by the committee subject to conditions, including one that stated: “Prior to the commencement of development on site, full details of the boundary enclosure along the eastern boundary shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority.Then work shall be completed in accordance with the approved details.”