Decision day deferred for new 'super-school' in Winchester

4:59pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in Winchester

Congestion in Cheriton Road Congestion in Cheriton Road

A CONTROVERSIAL application to build a new ‘super school’ in Winchester has been deferred, much to the surprise of people opposing it.

The plans for the new primary school at The Westgate — which would provide 420 places and a 55-place nursery — were set to go before a regulatory committee on March 13, but the application has been postponed.

Speaking for the group which opposes the plan, Paul Cooper, 62, a business strategy consultant of Cheriton Road, said: “We need to understand more fully the basis for the deferral. If it was to give enough time to review the fundamental options — ie build a single school at Westgate or expand
the existing neighbourhood primary schools — then that would be a victory for common sense.

“I think if it is simply to try and determine more underlying data to support a flawed case, then I think it just represents a breathing space.”

It follows a site visit by the committee on Monday, and a number of amendments made to the proposals on February 28, including parking for 40 cars in Chilbolton Avenue.

Fellow Cheriton Road resident Chris Jones, 60, said: “We were disappointed to hear that the planning committee visited the site at mid-day. This is obviously away from the main morning and evening peaks, so they can have no personal indication of the traffic chaos the current school generates.
“Hopefully the extra time will give them a further opportunity to visit.”

The county council was unavailable for comment.

Comments(5)

Mrlevelhead says...
9:35pm Wed 6 Mar 13

If this school is to be open for September 2014 someone needs to make a decision now. The longer it is put off the more expensive the build will be as a fast-tracked solution will be the only option.

That or the shame of the children of one of the country's more affluent cities being taught in temporary accommodation.

At this rate it may well be both.

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The School Boy says...
12:10pm Thu 7 Mar 13

The problem is that this whole affair has been conducted in a rush. The council's failure to include family migration into the area into their forecast, has put them in a spin but we should not accept a flawed project at huge cost as a result. Extending existing primary schools, permanently (not with temp classrooms) will give the council breathing space to think of a better solution. It cannot be sensible to place 2 primary schools so close, with overall, more than 2000 children into an area of a few hundred square metres.

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Mrlevelhead says...
1:40pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Agreed, this does seem to have been a rushed process. You would have thought that the news stories of record birth rates and Wintonians being sent to Southampton and Portsmouth to give birth would have rang alarm bells 3-4 years ago.

It’s a rather ridiculous for the council to not put the two problems together and been planning this for 3+ years; what did they think was going to happen to these children?

To permanently extend the local primary schools isn’t quite as straight forward as building a nice new classroom block (although many are already planned in addition to the new school). The existing parking provision, staff facilities, playgrounds and dining hall etc are unlikely to be able accommodate much of an increase in numbers after previous (and planned) extensions on extension.

If this scheme (or another similar capacity site) it is not progressed soon then the only solution will be temporary accommodation at existing schools for the 2014 starters. The new school will still be built (and I strongly suspect at the intended site), but not open until 2015… and while this would indeed buy the council breathing space, its at the detriment to all the pupils, parents and staff of the other schools who will all suffer as a consequence of spreading too little too far.

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The School Boy says...
3:02pm Fri 8 Mar 13

So what you're saying is that we disregard: National Planning Policy Framework paras. 34, 37, 69 ,72
Winchester Local Plan Part 1
Hampshire Transport Plan 2011-31
West Fulflood & Orams Arbour Design Statement and we place almost 30% of the total primary and secondary school population of Winchester on one site a few hundred metres square? What will happen in a few years when Westgate Secondary school needs to expand? They already have an overcrouded IT facility which needs expansion. The Winchester Local Development Plan provides an additional 4000 homes before 2031 (2000 of those on Barton Farm) bringing a population increase of some 10,000. At 9% child ratio, this means 900 additional secondary school places will be needed across Kings, Henry Beaufort and WestGate but Oh dear, Westgate can't expand and reducing the catchment area just pushes the problem somewhere else. There needs to be some joined up thinking between City and County, which comes up with a long term sustainable strategy for schools

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Mrlevelhead says...
4:12pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Yes, maybe these policies should be disregarded as the current plan (although this might be spoiling the surprise) is to send children to space at South Wonston - 5 miles away! These are 4/5 year olds remember.

Quite who that is in the best interest of (other than the residents near potential new school sites) is beyond me.

I quite agree that there needs to be some joined up thinking, and the ‘106 from Barton Farm gives them the perfect opportunity to make appropriate capital investment for the future.

The council does need to start being realistic though. If Westgate isn’t going to happen for a 2014 opening then a more appropriate ‘plan B’ than South Wonston needs to be established.

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