A BLACKBURN primary school is to get 14 extra car parking spaces.

They will be for staff and visitors.

The car park extension for Roe Lee Park Primary School in Emerald Avenue was approved by Blackburn with Darwen Council planning committee on Thursday night,

It chairman Cllr Dave Smith said: "On the site visit it was blindingly obvious this car park extension was necessary."

A report by principal planning officer Martin Kenny told the meeting: "The proposal seeks to ease existing parking issues at Roe Lee Park School.

"As originally submitted, the proposal included a new key fob operated barrier at the access, but this element of the scheme has now been omitted.

"There are two access points serving the school from Emerald Ave, both of which run between rows of houses.

"The westernmost access is used for vehicles, whilst the one further to the east is pedestrian access only.

"Presently there are two parking areas inside the school grounds, one to the north of the school (to the rear of the houses on Emerald Ave) and one to the west of the school, to the rear of the houses on Beryl Ave.

"There is presently an area of open space (a grassed area, with various trees, and a footpath running through it) which acts as a buffer between the school building, and the rear gardens of the houses on Beryl Ave.

"Part of this open space area would be used to create the proposed additional parking spaces.

"The area of open space in between the two existing car parks is where the new / additional car parking area would be created.

"This planning application involves the creation of 14 additional parking spaces on part of the open space along the west side of the school, increasing the on site parking provision (including spaces retained) from 23 spaces (as existing), up to a total of 37 spaces (as proposed).

"An additional disabled bay would also be provided, and a dedicated area for cycle storage.

"Three existing cherry trees would need to be removed to facilitate the development, however the vast majority of trees would remain in situ.

"Plans for the school car park extension propose the planting of six trees to compensate for the removal of three existing trees."