I, LIKE many residents of Yarm, Egglescliffe, Kirklevington and Ingleby Barwick, am objecting to the planning application by Yarm School (16/1904/FUL) to build a footbridge over the River Tees at Yarm.

A public meeting was recently held in Egglescliffe for Yarm School and its planning consultants to consult local people and allay fears, not only about this application, but about future applications the school may submit for a significant number of playing fields in the Tees Heritage Park.

While the local community was grateful to the planning consultants for attending, sadly no representative from Yarm School was present. This was no surprise and demonstrates the school’s apparent lack of willingness to consult with the community.

It is fair to say that the planning consultant did his best to answer questions, but it was estimated that only 20 per cent received an adequate response. It was apparent he was not going to move from his script about the footbridge application, as any questions relating to the future intentions of Yarm School went unanswered. Had the school sent a representative, these questions could have been answered.

Yarm School, it would seem, believes there is a need for a footbridge but has not demonstrated that any surveys or the like have been undertaken to support its assumptions. As of September 2, there were 151 public comments about the application on Stockton council’s website, of which only 15 were supportive. Of those, a simple internet search suggested 80 per cent had some direct or indirect involvement with Yarm School through employment, having children at the school or by using/attending its facilities.

What is more disappointing is that a number of them do not even live in Yarm or its surrounding area and will therefore, once they go home after the school day, be unaffected by it.

While I value our democratic society and the ability for the public to comment on all planning applications, where persons have a vested interest, they should be made to declare it.

Shane Sellers, chair, Egglescliffe Area Residents’ Association