NEW security fencing planned for the Bournemouth School has led to more than a hundred objections.

BCP’s planning committee will decide this afternoon whether to approve the proposals for the East Way school.

The school is planning a 2.4m green metal meshwork fence along the northern and eastern boundaries and also hopes to replace the main entrance gates.

A proposal for similar fencing along the western boundary, which would have extended the fencing to the front of the school buildings has since been dropped.

Among the 119 objections are the affect on the ‘character’ of the area, the affect on wildlife, the loss of access to school fields and adjoining woodland for recreation and dog walking, the lack of evidence of safety concerns and increased levels of wind and noise.

Twenty letters were received by the council in support of the application.

A report to the committee suggests that the fencing would not be ‘detrimental’ to the school setting or the listed St Francis of Assis Church and that, on balance, the benefits of added security outweighs the negative impacts.

An officer's report said: “On balance, the fencing would be set back from the frontage of the site and largely unseen when travelling along East Way, is designed in a manner which is considered to reflect the context of the site and would be largely screened from the adjoining site in which the Grade II listed Church of St Francis of Assisi is located. On this basis, the proposal is not adjudged to result in any harmful impact to the setting of this designated heritage asset with planning conditions also helping to safeguard this level of tree screening.”

The report also says that although the new fence would result in the loss of a small number of trees most of these are in poor condition or considered low category.

It also says that public access which has been enjoyed up until now is unauthorised and there have been no claims of Rights of Way across the area.