FEARS over the safety of pupils were raised as one of the main arguments against building a new “super school” in Winchester.

Despite those concerns, the scheme to extend The Westgate secondary school by building a new two-form entry primary was unanimously approved by Hampshire county councillors.

Local residents were worried about the impact of extra cars from the 420-place primary school in Cheriton Road and the surrounding area, especially at pick-up and drop-off times.

Liz Darlison represented some local residents who packed the public gallery at the regulatory committee yesterday. She said: “There will be traffic chaos with all the associated safety risks. Indeed there are plenty of near-misses already.”

Planning officers’ revised estimates suggest 23 per cent of parents could drive their children to the new primary due to its large catchment area, stretching to Abbots Barton.

This would mean about 100 extra cars at peak periods but opponents, including green campaigners, argue it could be twice that number.

The county council received 140 letters of objection with traffic and parking the main concerns.

Opponents included Winchester City Council, Winchester Action on Climate Change, Winchester Friends of the Earth and county councillor Martin Tod who represents the area.

Some called for the council to instead expand existing primary schools to provide extra places, a so-called ‘option B’ rejected by council chiefs last July.

But Jeremy Brecknell, chairman of governors at The Westgate, said the planning application was about “real children” who lived in Winchester.

He added: “They deserve better than places in temporary classrooms...This is a good proposal and we will make it work.”

The plan is to build the new primary school by September 2014 on the site of Rotherly House, a boarding house for The Westgate, which is closing.

Rotherly House will be turned into a new school hall and music/drama space with classrooms in a linked new, two-storey building. The nursery will move to new accommodation on the site.

Under revised plans, there will be 32 new parking spaces on the eastern side of Chilbolton Avenue plus eight more in Cheriton Road.

Other proposals to improve safety include widening the pavement near the school entrance, a lollipop man in Cheriton Road and staggering the start and end of school days.

Chief planning officer Peter Chadwick said an extra 100 parking spaces would be provided in total, including on-site staff parking. He said the highways authority backed the scheme.

Councillors heard the number of out-of-catchment secondary pupils at The Westgate is expected to fall, due to increased local demand, resulting in fewer buses and cars in future.

After the meeting, ex-Winchester city councillor Karen Barratt, who used to represent St Paul’s ward, criticised councillors for “rubber-stamping” the officers’ proposals.