Edinburgh's Frogston Primary School extension approved to provide space for 196 more pupils

Frogston Primary School in Burdiehouse will be able to add a third stream of pupils after its plans for an extension to accommodate an extra 196 pupils were approved on December 5.

The original Frogston Primary School, opened in June 2021, is located on the site of a new residential development in south-east Edinburgh.

An artist's impression of the approved extension at Frogston Primary School in Edinburgh. | City of Edinburgh Council

The two-storey extension will add six classrooms, flexible teaching areas, eight extra student toilets and one extra staff toilet, provide additional storage facilities, establish tutorial and office spaces, and add an additional 26 cycle parking spaces.

The extension will attach to the rear elevation of the uppermost 'wing'. It shall follow its building lines and match the creamy buff brick appearance of the school.

The proposals include the reconfiguration of a tree lined mound that was formed between the site and residential properties on Burdiehouse Road. The plans also include the refurbishment of two existing general purpose rooms and two existing classrooms within the current school premises.

These plans show the approved extension at the bottom right of the picture. | City of Edinburgh Council

In the planning documents, the applicant said: “The proposed extension follows the design principles of the original school, replicating the form of the existing teaching wing.

“The addition comprises a two-storey volume with an asymmetric pitched roof. In line with the original scheme, multi cream stock brick and zinc standing seam roof cladding are proposed.

“As several parts of the original school were deliberately oversized to facilitate the future transition, the internal arrangement of the existing building is broadly unchanged. The only minor alteration involves relocating a teaching space and a general-purpose room on each floor, swapping their positions, and associated refurbishment works.

“Circulation in the new extension will seamlessly connect to the original building, replacing existing windows in the gable elevation.

“Two additional exterior entrances are provided - one leading to the new fire escape stairwell and another at the end of the central circulation corridor.

“Consistent with the original design, flexible teaching spaces on the ground floor will also have access to external play space.”

The planning documents show that no extra parking spaces will be added along with the extension. The applicant said: “The existing vehicular access route via Achnacarry Street is retained, there are to be no alteration to the car park. Access and accessibility and the number of parking spaces is to remain as existing.

“As the school is extending from two stream to three stream, additional cycle parking will be provided for both staff and pupils within the boundary of the school site.”

The online planning application received eight objections and three notes of support. With most of the objections regarding increased traffic at the school, with local residents highlighting current parking issues.

One local resident, Kerry Kilpatrick said: “The school currently does not have adequate parking facilities for the staff. Bowbridge Crescent cannot be accessed at drop-off and pick-up times due to parents blocking the entire street with vehicles.

“A further extension would cause greater havoc to the residents of Bowbridge Crescent. it would be wiser to close the current entrance at Bowbridge Crescent and extend the building into that area.

“There is also room for the staff car park to be extended so that they stop using resident parking.”

Another, Lukasz Lukawski, said: “The current parking situation is already dire, and adding another 196 students will turn it into an absolute nightmare for our local community.

“Every single day, we are forced to deal with aggressive and confrontational parents during drop-off and pick-up times. I have personally witnessed several instances where local residents were verbally abused by frustrated parents vying for parking spaces.

“The chaos this creates is not just an inconvenience, it's a serious threat to our safety and well-being.”

These plans also show the approved extension at Frogston Primary School. | City of Edinburgh Council

Approving the plans last week, the council’s chief planning officer David Givan said: “These proposals are primarily concerned with the transport impacts from the transition from a two-stream school to a three-stream.

“To that end, the extension is considered acceptable against relevant transport policy as the increased movements from the proposals shall not themselves be significant and no new parking is still supported as a means to encourage travel by sustainable means.

“The proposals comply with the Development Plan as they are in accordance with the relevant policies of the Local Development Plan and National Planning Framework 4. There are no material considerations for not approving the proposals.”

A combined consultation and site visit was held on the May 30, 2023 at the existing primary school, to present the proposed extension and gather comments from the school’s headteacher and business manager.

A ‘Community Benefits and Walkaround’ meeting was hosted at Frogston Primary School by project managers AtkinsRéalis on January 11, 2024.

Following approval of the school extension plans, work must commence on site within three years of permission being granted.