Primary School Allocations - Time to Compulsory Purchase Land for a New School?
By StAlbansRobin | Thursday, May 13, 2010, 14:27
Like many parents in St. Albans, we've recently been through the process of applying for a primary school place for our child.
The nearest school to our home is about 500 meters away - an easy enough walk, even if it does involve going up a hill and crossing a major road into the city. We put it down as our first of three choices, even though we knew that there was little chance we'd get a place because, a couple of years ago, the school had a double intake of pupils and the siblings of those pupils, many of which live as much as twice the distance away that we do, get priority.
The school we were allocated, second choice on the form but only because we didn't even bother to apply to the other school less than 1000 meters from our home as we knew it had even less places to offer non-siblings, is a very good school, but is more than 3 times the distance from our home - walkable, just, with a 4 year old in good weather, but less so with our two year old in tow, particularly in bad weather. My wife, who doesn't drive at present, is now studying for the written portion of the driving examination in preparation of having to drive our child to school at least on some days.
Had we not gotten the place at our second choice school - a school some of our neighbours chose, but failed, to get, we wouldn't have got a place at our third choice school either since neighbours living closer than us failed to get a place there.
We were lucky. 186 children across the district failed to get a place at any of their top three school choices. We know of several familes who listed, in order, the three closest schools which, in some instances, were all an easy walk from their homes, only to discover on allocation day that they'd instead have to go across town to Margeret Wix school.
It's well known that there is a shortage of school places available in St. Albans, particularly in the city centre. The County Council said, following a consultation at the end of last year, that they would begin trying to find a location for a new school to be built.
Several possible sites spring to mind, including the Evershed site between London Road and Victoria Street, where Tesco applied, but failed, to get planning permission last year. Also, with recent news that the University of Hertfordshire plans to move to a purpose built facility in Hatfield, there is the potential that their existing Hatfield Road site could be used for a primary school. The problem is, both these sites are considered to be of high value to developers, just as the Oakland College site that was sold to property developers.
Is it time that the council considers making a compulsory purchase order? Would the law allow such an action? Have you identified any other sites with potential for a new primary school to be built?
Comments
Mike, you've not seen the hill between us and the school where we were allocated a spot. I'm reasonably fit and would probably have to walk my bike up it. But good idea generally.
By StAlbansRobin at 11:12 on 24/05/10
ReportJust so everyone is aware, the last phase of the Oaklands site (2 acres where the high rise building is) is coming to the market in the next few months. Perhaps Herts CC could try and buy that for a new school. Lambert Smith Hampton are advising Oaklands College.
By Flintybob at 07:49 on 22/05/10
ReportI have to flag here that I am one of the local Liberal Democrat Councillors, but my response is not meant to be political. My personal view has been to take a three pronged approach:
1) The Liberal Democrats in St Albans have been raising this issue with county time after time and this started some way prior to my election in 2005. We knew that a new school was needed but the Conservative administration has only now started to come round to this.
In fairness, some of their colleagues in the area were quicker to recognise this.
2) Where schools wish to increase in size, and they can do so without detriment to their existing, or future, pupils, we have supported this in principle.
3) Finally, but equally importantly, if a school does have fewer applications, we have tried to look in to why. If it's because of a poor reputation which is no longer deserved, then we've spoken up in their defense. If there are problems (and locally we've been lucky) we've worked to tackle them. If we fail in this we are letting down the existing pupils.
I'm one of those who looked at the old Oaklands site, now being turned in to housing, and thought this might be a good option and indeed others mentioned have been discussed. It's not insurmountable, if there is a will to act.
We will continue to push that an appropriate site is chosen, instead of children being forced to traverse the City to go to school away from their own local communities.
By AlsoW at 12:03 on 18/05/10
ReportCPOs are generally used for schemes where a much larger area is considered. Say for example, a large city centre re-gen project, a new road, a football stadium. They're used where it's not really practical to build around it. Mrs Smiths house which would sit in the middle lane of a proposed motorway or new runway at an airport. Look on Google for some cases. Something may be done under a CPO say for land that would form part of an access road which is needed for a new school that is proposed on some backland but I don't believe that the powers can be exercised to just go out and buy a whole site for a new school. The only way around this is for Herts CC to cough up and buy a site at market value (or stop selling off the one's they already own!)
By Flintybob at 15:35 on 13/05/10
ReportA bike with child seat and tagalong or a trailer would be a lot cheaper and greener than a car..
By mike1727 at 14:47 on 13/05/10
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