Bolton Muslim Girls School can expand to take extra 150 pupils

It's already the best-performing school in the district

The best-performing school in Bolton is set to expand by 150 pupils over the next five years as plans for its future have been approved.

Bolton Muslim Girls School has been granted planning permission to build a four-storey side extension.

The school, which will increase its student numbers from 600 to 750, can now also use the second and third floors of the mill building it is located in for educational purposes.

The expansion will allow the school to add design and technology as well as drama to its curriculum.

Work at the site is due to start in January and an additional intake of 30 pupils per year is planned.

Deputy head Helen Andiyapan warned delays to the expansion of the “oversubscribed” school would put £2.2m of funding at risk.

She said: “There will be a local shortage of places if this expansion does not go ahead. We are aware of the concerns raised and have tried our utmost to address these in the best nature possible.”

The planning committee approved the application last week despite residents raising concerns about increased traffic in the area.

Hanif Kola spoke on behalf of residents objecting to the proposal at a town hall meeting on Thursday.

He said that residents had tried to be fair and take a “balanced” approach with the school, but concerns had “fallen on deaf ears”.

They asked for each class to have an assigned entrance to ease congestion and demanded this becomes school policy so that it can be enforced.

He said: “We support the school and its efforts to expand its teaching provision but to have one access and entry point for a further 150 students is a major health and safety issue for the school, medical centre and the residents which cannot be compromised or overlooked in any way.”

Rumworth councillor Shamim Abdullah, who requested that the planning committee discusses the plans and makes the final decision, said that residents in her ward felt that the roads around the school cannot cope with traffic as it is.

However, she was satisfied that the school had taken appropriate measures to mitigate these problems.

Cllr Elaine Sherrington said: “The difficulty with the school is the fact that it is in an old mill. It was never designed to be a school and it’s in one of the most built up areas in the town.

“At the end of the day, the school is where it is and there’s nothing we can do about that.

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“I think if we talk about expansion in the future, I don’t think we can go over five-storeys.

“At that stage I think they would have to look at a brand new site.”

Plans were passed unanimously.