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“Grave” safety concerns have been raised over plans to bus in 1,000 pupils a day to a planned new free school in Highbury.

New details have emerged about Meller Educational Trust’s (MET) plans to open a University Technical College (UTC) in Highbury Grove, after a meeting with school heads, governors and Town Hall education chiefs last week.

The trust plans to open a school geared towards the film industry, taking pupils from all over London, along similar lines to the Croydon-based Brit School, which has produced stars such as Adele, Amy Winehouse and Rizzle Kicks. It would take 25 pupils from Islington each year.

The initial announcement in the summer was met with widespread criticism after the government paid £33.5m for the Ladbroke House building, despite there being two high-performing secondary schools nearby and Islington, unlike most London boroughs, not having a shortage of school places. The development would include “boutique” flats.

The free school was labelled a “staggering waste of money” by council leader Richard Watts.

Town Hall education chief Joe Caluori this week said the plan was “mind-boggling”. “It’s as if it has been dreamt up by people who have bumped into each other at a cocktail party,” he added.

He cited the “injustice” of the Department for Education (DfE) “wasting” £33m on the school “while refusing to fund essential works to Islington’s ‘outstanding’ Central Foundation School”.

The chairman of MET, David Meller, is a luxury property developer, Conservative Party donor and a member of the Department for Education board.

One of the trust’s two UTCs, Elstree, has recently been rated as “requires improvement” by Ofsted.

MET acknowledges Ladbroke House is not ideal for a school, according to Highbury Grove head Tom Sherrington. The Tribune understands it was offered around numerous other free school providers before being accepted by MET.

Chair of governors at all-girls school Highbury Fields Richard Hadley said: “It is wrong for the local community as we have grave concerns over safety, and the capacity of the existing infrastructure and amenities to cope with an additional 1,000 young people and the staff that this would bring to our streets.

“It is wrong for our community of local schools as it will unnecessarily divert existing resources, especially if this is to serve students from out of the area.”

Highbury East councillor Caroline Russell echoed his concerns. “The buses at school times are absolutely packed,” she said. “People waiting to go to work literally cannot get on a bus.

“The building should be used as affordable workspace for small businesses – it would be fantastic for the area.”

MET has said it will consider staggering its school day in relation to the other two schools to mitigate the impact on the area.

Cllr Caluori said he and Cllr Watts had written to Lord Nash, the minister responsible at the DfE. “We are urging him to think again, not only because of the possible impact of a new school on the existing schools, but also on the grounds of public safety,” he said.

“If this new school goes ahead, there would be up to 3,000 pupils entering and leaving the three secondary schools in a tiny area, in addition to the three closest primary schools.

“Narrow pavements and already overstretched bus services would effectively become a no-go zone for locals, raising serious road safety concerns.”

MET will know if its bid has been successful by the end of November. The school could be open as early as September 2018.