Orchard Primary School in north Watford to be extended onto Callowland Allotments

2:00pm Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter

Politicians have agreed plans for a north Watford primary school to be expanded onto fallow allotment land.

Watford Borough Council has approved the use of a disused area of Callowland Allotments to be used to expand Orchard Primary School.

Even though the land has not been used as an allotment for more than 25 years, an application will need to be made to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, before building work can begin.

The move comes as Hertfordshire education bosses struggle to create extra primary school places to stave off a looming admissions shortage.

Hertfordshire County Council plans to expand the primary school, in Gammons Lane, to take in 60 new pupils a year. It currently takes in 30 new pupils a year.

The council are set to consult parents on the plans next month. If the current expansion plans go ahead they will come into effect from September next year.

On Monday, Watford Borough Council’s ruling Liberal Democrat cabinet agreed to give the land over for the expansion and make the application to the government so the land can be built on.

Watford’s elected mayor, Dorothy Thornhill, said: "It has been disused for 25 years. The allotment-holders have been brilliant and really sensitive to the needs of the school.

"My stance is, if it means the wider community will benefit I think it is okay to use allotment land. But it has to be for a big cause like a school."

The decision comes as the council applies to government to build on the Farm Terrace Allotments as part of the Watford Health Campus project.

The controversial move has been strongly opposed by the plot-holders and also the opposition Labour group, arguing the project can be built without sacrificing the historic allotments.

Earlier this year the council said it needed to build houses and hospital buildings on the Farm Terrace site to make the project viable for the developers.

The health campus projects aims to see around 600 new homes and a new hospital built on the land behind Vicarage Road.

However this week the Labour group said they supported the decision to use the fallow Callowland allotment land to expand Orchard Primary School.

Councillor Nigel Bell, the leader of the Labour group, said: "We need to find extra schooling and need a proper expansion.

"We are in favour of it (the use of allotment land) in this case. Particularly as the Tory county council have left us needing to find extra primary school places."

Comments(16)

phil mitchel says...
2:48pm Wed 23 Jan 13

With a proposed reduction in places to cultivate vegetables where will future Lib Dem politicians come from ?

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Mohandas says...
2:54pm Wed 23 Jan 13

We are now being asked to accept super size primary schools as the norm as hundreds of homes are built on what little land is left and birth rates rise. As the dash to cram children into every available space whatever happened to the Ofsted argument for small schools
"the quality of teaching in small schools is generally better than in larger schools". Inspectors concluded that their "positive ethos" and "important place in the community" meant there was "a good case" for small schools. In short, they tick all the Every Child Matters boxes.
Surely at a time of social change in Britain there is a need for perhaps the political debate to balance the focus on results with a concern about social cohesion. To quote Ofsted again, small schools have a positive ethos that fosters "a family atmosphere, good standards of behaviour and close links with parents and the community". That sounds like a recipe for solving many current problems in urban areas too.
This crisis is leading to the unacceptable becoming acceptable as in some areas where some proposals have included converting empty shops, developing split-site schools and even a suggestion for pupils to use a building in different shifts. With big schools, the traffic will undoubtedly worse and this talk of economies of scale will have bad community and environment impacts as the outdoor space for the children to play or exercise shrinks. Is big always beautiful?

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pietas says...
3:19pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Fallow Allotment Land?
How come this allotment land was allowed to remain fallow for 25 years when there have been waiting lists of residents desperate for an allotment. Were the council just holding on to it for building on?

After hearing about the other fallow allotments in Willow Lane (also being used for building development) one wonders what other unused allotment land the council is sitting on?

Mind you it doesn't seem to mater whether the allotments are in use or not, the council will just give them away anyway, as in the case of the Farm Terrace Allotments.

I wonder what percentage of the allotments will have been lost by the end of 2013?

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Andrew Turpie says...
3:33pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Watford now over crowded and over breeding, a powderkeg ready to explode, thanks to those in power over the last 15 years who chose to ignore the negative effects from mass unchecked immigration.

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MarsLander says...
5:03pm Wed 23 Jan 13

I see a pattern of allotment land being built on in Watford "for the common good". No doubt the remaining allotment land will not be feasible and will turn into housing.

Dotty, you are completely transparent, as is that Clarkie thing you call a husband.

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TRT says...
5:11pm Wed 23 Jan 13

I wasn't going to say this, but MarsLander has opened the door... this sets a precedent which, hopefully, can be highlighted to The Pickles that WBC is "selling off the silver", as it were, to the detriment of (one part of) the community, i.e. the allotmenteers.

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philipbowman says...
5:43pm Wed 23 Jan 13

For Callowland (where we have an allotment), the land in question is an untended field, outside the fenced boundary of the Allotments. Mostly used by the community for dog-walking, etc. It still has value, but doesn't really affect the allotment-holders.

Much different for the Vicarage Road site, where it is actual allotment space that will be used.

Mohandas - which is better - expanding existing schools, or building more "small" schools? Surely the latter would take more space overall?

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The Rover says...
9:20pm Wed 23 Jan 13

philipbowman wrote:
For Callowland (where we have an allotment), the land in question is an untended field, outside the fenced boundary of the Allotments. Mostly used by the community for dog-walking, etc. It still has value, but doesn't really affect the allotment-holders.

Much different for the Vicarage Road site, where it is actual allotment space that will be used.

Mohandas - which is better - expanding existing schools, or building more "small" schools? Surely the latter would take more space overall?
Spot on! The land they are planning to use has been wasteland for as long as I can remember, unlike the Allotments in West Watford which are still being used as allotments.

It makes perfect sense to me for this land to be utilised by the school it is adjacent to.

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Mohandas says...
10:06pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Sounds like you are in favour of building estates like the Aylesbury Estate in London to accomodate ever increasing unplanned population movements in order to save land and hopefully allotments. Surely if you look at all the enormous housing developments around for example the Whippendell Rd, central part of town, Langley Rd, did some one not think about building a school close to where the need is greatest. We now have little children being randomly bussed across our town creating more congestion on our narrow streets and families.Big junior schools draw from quite a wide large catchment area and it's now so convenient to ditch the philosophy of neighbourhood schools and ideas such as walkng to your local school with your neighbours. Yes land is scarce and we must think of the impact on our environment and the quality of our life style if we build without thinking of the cost to the human being. I would like to think that we are more than just a brick in the wall to be packed in without thinking of the educational experience of a child. I suppose we will next have to adapt to having super size nurseries.

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Maceo & Fred says...
10:34pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Although I can see all sides of the argument here Mayor Thornhill has just stated that she considers allotment land easy pickings. Quote - "My stance is, if it means the wider community will benefit I think it is okay to use allotment land". There is pressure all around on Watford because of its population increase from 80,000 to over 90,000 in ten years so there will be a demand for allotments for those who want them. However Dorothy is happy to spend a few million building a bridge to join the east and west banks of the upper part of the town together for those who cannot walk around the pond. Shame on this Council for openly stating that it is anti allotments. When Dorothy has an idea that benefits the wider community then allotments will be sold off and soon there will be none left apart from Dorothy's Oxhey ward that has 30% of the boroughs allotment space and if their plans are successful 40% if Farm Terrace Allotments are relocated. At least Dorothy will live near one unlike other residents of the borough.

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KAren Smythe says...
10:44pm Wed 23 Jan 13

This is great news. A greater number of available school places benefits the community far more than a catering for a handful of people to grow a few carrots.

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Mohandas says...
10:57pm Wed 23 Jan 13

KAren Smythe wrote:
This is great news. A greater number of available school places benefits the community far more than a catering for a handful of people to grow a few carrots.
That's right continue to carpet our precious green spaces with more concrete and tar and as for the birds and bees and butterflies they an just buz off because this land is our land not theirs. Better still to accomodate our booming town's population, why not have a four storey junior school and that way everyone is certain to get a place. With the space saved we can sell it off to build an even bigger extension.

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Wacko Jacko says...
5:11pm Thu 24 Jan 13

Maceo & Fred wrote:
Although I can see all sides of the argument here Mayor Thornhill has just stated that she considers allotment land easy pickings. Quote - "My stance is, if it means the wider community will benefit I think it is okay to use allotment land". There is pressure all around on Watford because of its population increase from 80,000 to over 90,000 in ten years so there will be a demand for allotments for those who want them. However Dorothy is happy to spend a few million building a bridge to join the east and west banks of the upper part of the town together for those who cannot walk around the pond. Shame on this Council for openly stating that it is anti allotments. When Dorothy has an idea that benefits the wider community then allotments will be sold off and soon there will be none left apart from Dorothy's Oxhey ward that has 30% of the boroughs allotment space and if their plans are successful 40% if Farm Terrace Allotments are relocated. At least Dorothy will live near one unlike other residents of the borough.
Here's a plan, why not fill in the pond, turn it into allotments and put a fence around it (so like other allotments it's not accessible to the rest of the community, who pay for the allotments through their rates, just the allotment holders).
That'll save the cost of the bridge and could provide fresh food for the restaurants in the Parade - Brilliant!

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TRT says...
5:17pm Thu 24 Jan 13

"so like other allotments it's not accessible to the rest of the community, who pay for the allotments through their rates, just the allotment holders"

But they are accessible to all WBC council tax payers. You just apply to join the club and when there's a space for you, you get a key to the gate. You'll have to pay your annual membership fee of course...

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MarsLander says...
6:38pm Thu 24 Jan 13

The Rover wrote:
philipbowman wrote:
For Callowland (where we have an allotment), the land in question is an untended field, outside the fenced boundary of the Allotments. Mostly used by the community for dog-walking, etc. It still has value, but doesn't really affect the allotment-holders.

Much different for the Vicarage Road site, where it is actual allotment space that will be used.

Mohandas - which is better - expanding existing schools, or building more "small" schools? Surely the latter would take more space overall?
Spot on! The land they are planning to use has been wasteland for as long as I can remember, unlike the Allotments in West Watford which are still being used as allotments.

It makes perfect sense to me for this land to be utilised by the school it is adjacent to.
Not sure there's such a thing as wasteland, just land that has not yet been built upon.

It all has a value, if not to us, to wildlife and our lungs. Will we not be satisfied until the view from every window in Watford is concrete grey or brick red?

I hope not.

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MarsLander says...
6:40pm Thu 24 Jan 13

KAren Smythe wrote:
This is great news. A greater number of available school places benefits the community far more than a catering for a handful of people to grow a few carrots.
Went right over your head, didn't it?

Are you another liberal councillor by any chance?

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