“EMAIL LAMBETH LEADER ON PAXTON PLANS” PLEA
Paxton Matters are urging parents of Paxton primary school and residents living in the school’s area to email Lambeth council leader Cllr Lib Peck with their concerns over plans to move secondary school pupils onto the site.
The parent and community-led campaign group set up to fight plans to put two year entry of secondary school pupils in portable cabin buildings on the existing primary school playground – say Lambeth council and the Department for Education have not done enough to find an interim site for the proposed Clapham-based Gipsy Hill secondary school.
Paxton Matters say the Chapel Road site close to West Norwood bus garage would be a far better option but would need planning permission for a temporary change of use.
In an open email to parents and local residents the group say:
“Whilst we overall remain opposed to the Gipsy Hill Federation’s proposals to co-locate Gipsy Hill secondary school at Paxton for two years we also believe that Lambeth and the DFE have not done enough to find an interim site and we need to hold them to account on this.
“It is therefore essential we put pressure on Lambeth council to demonstrate that they have realistically considered alternative interim sites that will facilitate a deliverable timetable and that does not carry with it the huge risk of the Paxton option.
“Chapel Road appears to offer the best solution in that it has the capacity to cope with an eight- form entry school for three years, which gives the Federation the much needed leeway for their permanent site programme, whilst clearly at the same time not jeopardising a growing primary school or the experience of local residents.
“Unfortunately the Chapel Road site has a planning restriction called a KIBA (Key Industrial Business Area) attached to it, but we consider there to be an arguable case to be made to Lambeth council for an application for temporary use of the site for educational use, despite it falling within an area designated a key industrial business area within the Lambeth Local Plan.
“The Federation will meet with Cllr Lib Peck, Lambeth council leader, to discuss the present situation concerning the proposals.
“We strongly encourage everyone to write to her expressing your personal concerns regarding the present proposals and urge the council to do everything within their power to temporarily lift the KIBA restriction therefore resulting in a positive outcome for Paxton primary school, the local residents of Paxton, Gipsy Hill secondary school, the Federation and Lambeth’s need for extra secondary school places by 2018.
We strongly urge you to send your email to Lib Peck in your own words. Please send your emails to the following address: [email protected],
cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Note: Cllr Matthew Bennett is a Gipsy Hill ward member; Cllr Jane Edbrooke is Lambeth council’s cabinet member for children and schools; Cllr Andy Simmons is a Southwark Cllr for College ward which lies very close to Paxton primary school.
