Croxley Green Parish Council have called for the Secretary of State to get involved in a growing row about plans for a new special school.

In a statement published on social media yesterday (April 5), the Parish Council said that they "strongly object" to Hertfordshire County Council's recent planning application for the relocated Breakspeare School, citing concerns about "the inadequacy of the proposed access and the location and orientation of buildings within this site".

Plans are in place for the school to move to the disused former Durrants School, playing field, next to Little Green Junior School. It would be accessed via Manor Way, a quiet cul-de-sac.

This sparked concerns from residents, who say that their road is too narrow and twisting to support traffic for a school which will have 169 parking spaces.

Watford Observer: This map shows the planned access for the new Breakspeare School site.This map shows the planned access for the new Breakspeare School site. (Image: Google Maps/Canva)

Cllr Chris Lloyd, who represents Croxley ward on Hertfordshire County Council, has launched a petition calling for the access plans to be rethought.

The Parish Council have said that "a thorough explanation of the rationale behind this [access] decision must be given before any decision is made".

Watford Observer: Steve Middleton (left) and Cllr Chris Lloyd (right) in Manor Way where it would be extended to form the site access.Steve Middleton (left) and Cllr Chris Lloyd (right) in Manor Way where it would be extended to form the site access. (Image: Cllr Chris Lloyd)

Six access options were considered during a pre-application consultation which began in December.

The Parish Council are also calling for the proposed development to be "repositioned further away from the neighbouring houses".

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According to the plans, the school building would be arranged as one large structure around a courtyard, with only the proposed main hall and hydrotherapy pool being two-storeys.

Parish councillors have said that it is "inappropriate" for the county council themselves to be determining the application as the landowner, developer and highway authority.

They "will request that the application is called in by the Secretary of State so that the application may be reviewed and determined impartially to ensure all concerns are treated fairly and that there are no conflicts of interest".

Watford Observer: A closer computer-generated image of the proposed new school building.A closer computer-generated image of the proposed new school building. (Image: Hertfordshire County Council)

Prior to its relocation, Breakspeare School was based in Gallows Hill Lane in Abbots Langley, with space for 97 SEND pupils.

It is currently using a satellite location at Holywell Primary School in Watford, which allowed it to increase provision to 145 pupils.

If the planning application is approved, the new site is expected to open in spring 2026 with room for up to 210 places, supported by 137 full-time equivalent staff.

The plans are part of Hertfordshire County Council's broader £91m investment in expanding SEND provision, which involves creating 1,000 new SEND school places in specialist and mainstream schools by 2026.

Last week, a council spokesperson said: “The planning application has been submitted to the Spatial Planning team at Hertfordshire County Council and will be considered and determined upon by the county council’s Development Control Committee."