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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Avenue Centre sell-off: lost opportunity for school expansion
June 25, 2011 8:31 PM
• [Jun 24]: THE Tory Council's plan to sell-off more than two thirds of the Avenue Centre site opposite Hampton Wick Infants School for a housing development is a lost opportunity to provide vital extra primary school places in the area. There is a chronic shortage of primary school places in the Teddington and Hampton Wick area, with Hampton Wick Infants School having to take an extra 'bulge' class in September. This follows nearby Collis Primary School taking an extra class from last September. Following a sharp rise in the birth rate, it is clear that there will be a need for at least one extra class in the area on a permanent basis, but the council has so far failed to plan for a permanent expansion.
Plans agreed at Cabinet last night will see just under 30% of the site used for a private care home, with the remaining 70% (around one acre of land) sold off for housing. The Cabinet report made no mention of the adjacent school or the potential use for school expansion. Councillor Stephen Knight, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said:
"This is a scandalous lost opportunity to provide vital extra school places. The Conservatives know that extra school places are needed urgently in the Teddington area and yet they seem intent on selling-off this ideal plot of land to the highest bidder for a housing development. Sadly, this short-sighted decision probably means that Teddington parents will face an uncertain future of ad hoc 'bulge' classes, accommodated in temporary buildings, for years to come."
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