Wentworth Primary can park a red double-decker bus in its grounds for small-group and one-to-one teaching. The council says no planning permission is needed.

Wentworth Primary School in Dartford is getting a classroom with a difference: a red double-decker bus, parked in its grounds.

Dartford Borough Council has confirmed the school does not need planning permission for it. The council issued a certificate of lawfulness on 26 October 2026. (Dartford Borough Council planning register, DA/26/01161/LDC)

What the bus is for

The school’s application says the bus will become “educational space within the school grounds”. It will be used to support:

  • small group work with an adult
  • one-to-one support for individual pupils

The school says most of the work on the bus will happen outside school hours, when the site is empty. The electrics will be updated and the bus refitted with soft furnishings.

The bus

The application describes a modern red double-decker:

  • 10.5 metres long
  • 2.5 metres wide
  • 4.2 metres high
  • a footprint of about 26 square metres

It keeps its wheels, tyres, axles, steering and chassis, and will not be fixed to the ground. It will sit at least 3 metres from any boundary of the school’s 1.4 hectare site, and could be towed away if needed. (Delegated report, DA/26/01161/LDC, 26 October 2026)

Why it needs no planning permission

Planning permission is needed for “development”, which covers new buildings and a material change in how land is used. The council’s officer found the bus was neither.

Because it is small, mobile and not attached to the ground, the officer treated it as a movable object rather than a building. And because it will be used for teaching at a school, its use is “part of and incidental to” the site’s existing use.

The certificate says the proposal is lawful “by virtue of its size, mobility and absence of physical attachment to the ground and its use for educational purposes”. One letter of support was sent in. No objections were recorded.

The school has not said publicly when the bus will arrive.

What it means for you

  • If your child is at Wentworth, the school is the place to ask about how the bus will be used and when it opens.
  • Neighbours on Wentworth Drive: the certificate covers the bus as described, on the site shown in the school’s location plan, at least 3 metres from the boundary. A permanent building would be a different matter and would need its own application on the planning register.

Source: Dartford Borough Council planning register, DA/26/01161/LDC, including the certificate and delegated report of 26 October 2026.