A COUNCILLOR has described the site where a primary school will be temporarily based near the town centre as “the most dangerous place in Bolton to put a school.”

From September, the Ashton House building in Waterloo Street will welcome 120 pupils from the Olive School – a new Bolton faith school which is being run by the Taheedul Education Trust.

The building’s owner, businessman Tom Ashton, has been given planning permission to turn the former office building into an 80-bed hotel – but his plans fell through after firms withdrew their offers in the build-up to the EU referendum.

During a council meeting last week, members were discussing the wider ramifications of Class C permitted development rights – legislation meaning the Secretary of State for Education can approve buildings to be used as a school for one academic year without the prior consent or pre-approval of the local authority.

The motion on the subject was brought by Crompton’s Cllr Bilkis Ismail, who pointed out that such powers have been used to approve the Ashton House agreement in her ward, which she said was “fronting the A666” and in a “location which is wholly unfit to house a primary school”.

Cllr Ismail won wide support for her motion, which called on the council to investigate whether it can remove such permitted development rights for state-funded schools and write to the Government to request that the legislation be abolished altogether.

One councillor in total agreement with the Labour member was Tory Norman Critchley, a stalwart of the authority’s planning committee.

He said: “Permitted development has come up as an issue many times with the planning committee and I think it is stupid and shameful and wrong.”

Speaking about the Ashton House plan, he said: “If you wanted to choose the most dangerous place in Bolton to put a school – congratulations because that is it.

“I love children, but I wouldn’t want to send any of them there – it is just not acceptable at all and I am disgusted by the decision.”

The Taheedul Trust has insisted that the health and safety of its pupils is its “utmost priority”. A spokesman said: “We are ensuring that the building provides a high quality learning environment for pupils.”

The trust is yet to decide on where it will build the permanent Olive School, having already built and opened the Eden Boys School in Wolfenden Street.

The Olive School will eventually become a 420-place Muslim faith-based primary school, which will welcome children from all faiths and none.