Archived decisions

                Parish Clerk

                Mrs N Oliver BSc (Hons)

                Heatherdene

                Turkey Island

                Shedfield

                Southampton

                SO32 2JE

                Tel 01329 835019

                Email [email protected]

County Office Education Dept

Hampshire County Council

The Castle

Winchester

SO23 8UG 15th February 2006

For the attention of Mr Bob Eardley

Dear Sirs

Consultation on the proposed new voluntary aided primary school for the Whiteley area.

Thank you for arranging a meeting with councillors on 31st January and for the opportunity to respond to this consultation. However the Parish Council wishes to record its disappointment that it was prevented from making its views known at the public meeting on 9th February.

As you are aware the Parish Council fully supports the need for a new primary school but strongly objects to the proposal to site it on recreation land at Meadowside for the following reasons:

    · Loss of much needed and used amenity, recreation space and sports pitches, extensive disruption to existing users whilst facilities are relocated at a significant cost to the taxpayer.

    ( Whiteley is fortunate to have nine junior and four senior football teams and a thriving cricket club. The play area is also very popular, 48 people of all ages recorded using the site at 3pm on a recent Saturday afternoon. )

    · The proposed relocation of the skatepark and tennis courts to less desirable locations.

    · The unacceptable destruction of Whiteley's most important open space, the resulting urbanisation would be detrimental to the ambiance and character of the area.

    · The proposal is contrary to government planning guidance (PPG17 in particular) and the advice of other bodies such as the National Playing Fields Association and Sport England.

    · The proposal is contrary to local planning policies (RT 1 of Winchester District Local Plan Review Revised Deposit 2003).

    · In view of the above, a planning application is likely to involve a lengthy public enquiry in which success could not be guaranteed. This could delay provision of the school for perhaps 2 years.

    · Meadowside Leisure Centre would become remote from the sports pitches it serves and will be left with no scope for future expansion.

    · The school will benefit a comparatively small percentage of the population; one form entry, a maximum of 210 children at any one time. The total number of children under 16 is currently 1000+ and the majority of Whiteley adult residents also use the recreation ground.

    · Hampshire County Council indicates in the consultation document that land at Leafy Lane could be provided in compensation. A large part of this site is already designated for recreation when developed.

    · Land at Leafy Lane is remote from the majority of the Whiteley population, has poor access and suffers from noise and air pollution, also reasons why HCC has discounted the Leafy Lane site for a school.

The Parish Council believes alternative sites should be pursued.

    · The Parish Council believes HCC should make more vigorous efforts to negotiate with USS.

    · Future development of North Whiteley could provide the school requirements within a timescale perhaps only marginally longer than the time taken for a public enquiry on the recreation ground site.

Yours faithfully

Mrs N Oliver

Parish Clerk