Three Rivers District Council backs Baldwins Lane as site for new school

10:12am Tuesday 4th September 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Adam Binnie, Senior Reporter

An unpopular site for a planned new secondary school in Croxley Green has received backing from Three Rivers District Council .

The executive committee agree to "reluctantly" support the Green Belt site, in Baldwins Lane, as a possible location for a much needed school last night.

The site was put forward by the county council as the most desirable location for a new school, but was opposed by the district council, which suggested building on a farm in Maple Cross would be more appropriate.

The Croxley Green site was also opposed by residents and the parish council, due to its Green Belt location.

A large crowd from Croxley Green packed out the public gallery and chairman of the residents' association, Barry Grant, described how "residents had left no doubt as to their appreciation of the green belt site" during a public consultation.

He added: "The counter point is the paucity of response from residents around the Maple Cross and Mill End sites who, perhaps, value having a new secondary school higher than retaining a green belt site in the vicinity and who realise the days of the local farm are numbered."

Mr Grant's speech ran over the three minute time limit allocated to public speakers and was not allowed to read his final sentence. He left the stand to boos and cries of "for shame" from public gallery.

The need for a new school in the area was detailed by figures which show a forecasted deficit of 43 secondary places in 2013/14.

This number rises year on year, peaking at a deficit of places for 397 secondary school age children by 2022/23.

Conservative opposition leader Chris Hayward said: "We need to consider the best interests of children in our district, and their education.

"This is a very emotive and sensitive issue and I understand local people's feelings run high. We have been under pressure for along time now to get a school in the Three Rivers district."

The council's executive committee voted to support the Croxley Green site, with seven votes for and one abstention.

Peter Brooker, head of commuity and environmental service, said: "No site is perfect, they are all difficult, but this is a decision we have to make to go through to the next stage."

Comments(19)

Toshhorn says...
10:22am Tue 4 Sep 12

so why did they close Durrants??????
Muppets

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Not swimming says...
10:39am Tue 4 Sep 12

The site is the minimum size required for a secondary school. The land is far from level, playing fields will be off site, Baldwins Lane is already congested at school time, local residents do not want a school there.
If/when the Croxley rail link goes ahead LT (who own the land) will need somewhere to store construction materials etc so if this site is used (during CRL construction)then the building of a new school will not start for 5 years.
& then the school will also be used by pupils from West Watford.
Loss of green belt.
Thanks Herts CC & TRDC

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Green Gal says...
10:40am Tue 4 Sep 12

The executive committee was more interested in item 11 on their agenda, which was to discuss their PA system! Talk about dragging it on! The councillors knew full well there would be a good turnout from members of the public and that members of the public were mostly there for one reason- and that was to hear the decision on the site allocation for the secondary school. Yet they still left this item at the end of their agenda.

Ann Shaw needs lessons in courtesy and consideration and most importantly public relations. I cannot believe how rude this woman is! She is obviously pleased that the Long Lane site in Maple Cross is not really in the running now, seeing as that would be on her doorstep. Funny how it has been rejected by TRDC without proper reason!

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Maclanx says...
11:44am Tue 4 Sep 12

So TRDC residents voiced their preference for a school in Maple Cross/Mill End and not in Croxley. So TRDC prefer Croxley! Why there and not the other - no reason given above, did they offer a reason at the meeting?

Adam, your report says Baldwins Lane site but that isn't very specific - it is a long road! Whereabouts are they talking about?

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Not swimming says...
12:08pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Maclanx wrote:
So TRDC residents voiced their preference for a school in Maple Cross/Mill End and not in Croxley. So TRDC prefer Croxley! Why there and not the other - no reason given above, did they offer a reason at the meeting? Adam, your report says Baldwins Lane site but that isn't very specific - it is a long road! Whereabouts are they talking about?
Next to railway

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Reg Edit says...
12:13pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Toshhorn wrote:
so why did they close Durrants??????
Muppets
The question should be "So why did they close Durrants and William Penn and build houses on those sites?"

We should also ask why the Liberal Council is not interested in listening to the local people and seemingly marginalised their representation at the meeting.

The Liberals are not a party for government, locally or nationally. They treat real people with contempt and are incompetent.

At elections, use your vote wisely to remove them. If they won't represent you, don't give them power! No second chances, just kick them out.

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Sara says...
12:18pm Tue 4 Sep 12

The report above is sadly inaccurate. Two secondary school sites are proposed. The County Council have insisted on two sites going forward: one in Mill End/Maple Cross and another in Croxley. Three Rivers' preference is for one in ME/MC (the first choice) and the other in the South Oxhey area.

The County Council are the Education Authority and want a school in Croxley, not in the south of the District. They also have the right to give panning permission for educational facilities. Three Rivers can only try to influence, but cannot insist.

Let no-one think that any of the Lib Dem group are happy with the Croxley site in any way. However the County Council would object to Three Rivers' Local Plan if it did not contain sites where they as the education authority had insisted on them. Not only would that have been ultimately futile, as HCC would have been able to force through the sites at a later date, it would have left sites currently not proposed for development open without any means of protection, due to the lack of a valid Local Plan. Ironically this would have opened up the proposed school site for 60 houses to be built in addition to the school, as TfL would like.

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Sara says...
12:24pm Tue 4 Sep 12

The report and the sites can be seen by scrolling down to item 12 here http://www.threerive
rs.gov.uk/Default.as
px/Web/ExecutiveComm
ittee-3September2012

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Sara says...
2:19pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Langleybury was sold off by Hertfordshire County Council a few years ago to The Grove.

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crazyfrog says...
7:19pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Reg Edit wrote:
Toshhorn wrote: so why did they close Durrants?????? Muppets
The question should be "So why did they close Durrants and William Penn and build houses on those sites?" We should also ask why the Liberal Council is not interested in listening to the local people and seemingly marginalised their representation at the meeting. The Liberals are not a party for government, locally or nationally. They treat real people with contempt and are incompetent. At elections, use your vote wisely to remove them. If they won't represent you, don't give them power! No second chances, just kick them out.
It should be investigated who was involved with the sell off of Durrants and Langleybury schools back in the early 90s! absolutely disgusting that educational land and assets were sold off so developers could make a profit, i know the Tories were involved, but i think some this needs serious investigation. MORONS

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crazyfrog says...
7:21pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Please WO can we have an edit button so we can edit our posts if need be. thankyou!

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Sara says...
7:37pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Durrants School was closed I believe in 1991, so I do not know much about that site. However the County Council did not sell Langleybury until 2007, at a time when they should have known that more secondary school places would be required - after all today's eleven year olds would have already been six years old.

The total amount pocketed from that sale was reported as £10.4 million.

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Maclanx says...
9:27pm Tue 4 Sep 12

Sara wrote:
The report above is sadly inaccurate. Two secondary school sites are proposed. The County Council have insisted on two sites going forward: one in Mill End/Maple Cross and another in Croxley. Three Rivers' preference is for one in ME/MC (the first choice) and the other in the South Oxhey area.

The County Council are the Education Authority and want a school in Croxley, not in the south of the District. They also have the right to give panning permission for educational facilities. Three Rivers can only try to influence, but cannot insist.

Let no-one think that any of the Lib Dem group are happy with the Croxley site in any way. However the County Council would object to Three Rivers' Local Plan if it did not contain sites where they as the education authority had insisted on them. Not only would that have been ultimately futile, as HCC would have been able to force through the sites at a later date, it would have left sites currently not proposed for development open without any means of protection, due to the lack of a valid Local Plan. Ironically this would have opened up the proposed school site for 60 houses to be built in addition to the school, as TfL would like.
Thanks 'reporter' Sara!

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G_Whiz says...
10:20pm Tue 4 Sep 12

If three Rivers Schools only educated Kids from The Three Rivers area there would be plenty of spaces for all the Kids.

Instead, they bring in Hundreds of Kids from Harrow, Hatch end, Pinner and further affield.

If they can't run an education system with any common sense. They shouldn't lecture us on the necessity to build, and increase traffic chaos at local taxpayers expense.... Yes the local taxpayers who pay their wages and top up their huge pensions...yes us... Are you listening........?

Sorry - bit of a rant, but an accurate one all the same.

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crazyfrog says...
10:27pm Tue 4 Sep 12

G_Whiz wrote:
If three Rivers Schools only educated Kids from The Three Rivers area there would be plenty of spaces for all the Kids. Instead, they bring in Hundreds of Kids from Harrow, Hatch end, Pinner and further affield. If they can't run an education system with any common sense. They shouldn't lecture us on the necessity to build, and increase traffic chaos at local taxpayers expense.... Yes the local taxpayers who pay their wages and top up their huge pensions...yes us... Are you listening........? Sorry - bit of a rant, but an accurate one all the same.
Yes i agree about local kids for local schools as a priority, my child has to travel each day out of Three Rivers district because she was unable to get into a Three Rivers school. We constantly worry about her travelling to and from school.

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Sara says...
10:36pm Tue 4 Sep 12

To be fair to the County Council (which I sometimes find difficult) the selective schools get their right to select outside Hertforshire from successive governments going back over 20 years - and of course the original Greenwich judgement.

So someone who lives in Harrow but goes to school in Watford brings the money with them.

But I agree it doesn't help if school places in Hertfordshire re allocated to children living further away.

BTW you've set me thinking: Three Rivers councillors don't get pensions, but I don't know about county councillors.

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Andrew1963 says...
4:43pm Wed 5 Sep 12

Langleybury is a remote site and was unpopular with very low applications - so even if it was available - it seems like a poor option. Why not expand Westfield which is accessible to croxley green? Any new school will have to be a 'free school' anyway so i doubt if same standards on playing fields etc applies. I doubt if either site will be developed as a school, so in a way this is a bit of a storm in a tea cup. Providing safeguarded sites is one thing - building a school and persuading parents to send children to the school is another. In reality most Croxley parents would be happy to send children to Rickmansworth; (the Watford Grammar Schools) or Clement Danes. Hence the closure of Durrants; Langleybury; Grange Park; Sir James Altham in last 20 years.

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Sara says...
5:58pm Wed 5 Sep 12

Many Croxey parents can no longer gain place for their children at any of those !preferred' schools. There is a need for more places, but mainly for children living in Watford. Which is why many Croxley residents do not see why the Green Belt needs to be used to provide the school.

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Andrew1963 says...
5:13pm Thu 6 Sep 12

I am sure most Watford parents would be happy to send their children to the two Grammar schools, unfortunately most places taken by non Watford residents like those that live in Croxley Green. I think only one secondary has closed in Watford in last 30 years - Leggatts - Most have closed in Three Rivers/Hertsmere.

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