Yardley Primary School has applied for permission to demolish its canteen and replace it with a two-to three-storey block of classrooms and a new cafeteria, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

A Chingford school looking to tear down its canteen to make way for more classrooms.

Yardley Primary School has applied for permission to demolish its canteen and replace it with a two-to three-storey block of classrooms and a new cafeteria.

The scheme has been developed by Waltham Forest Council and its partly-owned developer Norse Evolve in a bid to meet growing demand for places.

A formal application was submitted to Waltham Forest Council’s planning department in mid July, after receiving early support from the town hall last May.

The council wants the 630-place school to expand from a two-form entry to a three-from entry school, meaning there will be three classes in each year group.

The development will help “accommodate the increasing demand for primary school placements in Chingford,” according to Norse.

The new classrooms will prioritise indoor air quality, the plans reveal, on the grounds that improving it will also improve pupils’ “health, performance, alertness and ability to concentrate”.

They will also be ‘adaptable spaces,’ where tables and chairs can be rearranged to accommodate both teaching sessions and activities.

The developers say they will use sustainable building materials in the process and implement natural light to reduce the need for electrical lighting and air conditioning.

“The overall vision is to create a welcoming, adaptable, and future proof school environment that supports both educational excellence and the well being of students and staff,” the planners say.

Waltham Forest Council is pushing to build thousands of new homes across the borough to combat what it calls a “housing crisis”. According to its Local Plan, around 1,000 new homes will be built in north Chingford by 2035.

Even small housing projects have proven controversial in Chingford, with residents expressing deep concerns about the impact on local infrastructure. On top of parking and traffic congestion, locals have formally objected to plans on the grounds that schools will become overstretched.

Though the council’s planning department supports the scheme, a decision is yet to be made. It is expected by October.

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