EARLIER this month a planning application was submitted for an extension to be built at Castle School’s sixth form building.

The plans included an increased on-site parking provision for staff and visitors to the site – but nothing for students who drive to school in their own cars.

The planning application submitted by the school is for a new teaching wing to be built on to the existing sixth form building in Gloucester Road.

This decision has angered Peter Mainstone, 69, of Buckingham Parade in Thornbury, who believes that the application would be the perfect opportunity to nip the parking problem in the bud.

He said: “Although the plans include an increase in the number of parking spaces on site there’s nothing for the increasing number of students who have cars.

“Now that students have to stay on in some form of further education for longer the number of students and parking problems are going to increase – even though the school says the number of students they have won’t change.

"The stretch of road outside the sixth form building is particularly narrow and with cars parked there it's really dangerous for drivers and pedestrians.

“If we don’t want to see a parking problem like the one on Park Road outside the main building of the (Castle) School then we have to resolve the problem now and this planning application is the perfect opportunity to do it.”

Peter Smart, headteacher at the Castle School, said that the only parking that would be included in the development is what was included in the design and access statement submitted with the application.

“When we drew up plans for the development of the Sixth Form site that is what we decided we would do with parking.

The number of parking spaces provided at the site will double from 24 to 48 but are only available for staff, visitors and people with disabilities.

He added: “Currently members of staff commute between the main school building and the sixth form building as teaching staff are shared between the two.

“This situation will not change with the development of the sixth form building but more parking spaces will be available.