Hawker plans dropped in phase two of Kingston secondary school consultation (From Surrey Comet)

Hawker plans dropped in phase two of Kingston secondary school consultation

12:00pm Friday 22nd January 2010 in Kingston By Martin George

Plans to place a sixth form on the site of the Hawker Centre have been dropped, as the council launched a formal consultation on proposals for a £30m eight form of entry secondary school on the North Kingston Centre site.

Last September, the council’s executive committee included the option of using the Hawker Centre site in its decision to develop detailed plans for the school but, according to the new consultation document, it now believes the whole school can be included on the North Kingston Centre site.

Councillor Dennis Doe, Conservative education spokesman, said: “What they would have done before would have destroyed the Hawker Centre. They have dropped the idea for the moment. If it they cannot fit it on to the North Kingston Centre they will consider going to the Hawker Centre.

“I know education officers believe it can all be fitted on but whether the development control committee agrees, time will tell.”

A survey of residents showed 44 per cent were against using the Hawker Centre and 43 per cent in favour, but opposition grew to 62 per cent among users of the YMCA-run facility. Overall, 52 per cent supported the North Kingston Centre site, with 36 per cent against.

Councillor Patricia Bamford, executive member for children and young people’s services, said: “There was no point in consulting if we were not mindful of the responses. There is a long way to go but we are hopeful we can achieve what we need to achieve on a single site.”

The consultation will be sent to 19,000 north Kingston residents, parents of current primary school children and existing users of the North Kingston Centre, and a public meeting will be held at 7pm on Tuesday, February 9, at Fern Hill Primary School.

The deadline for responses, which can also be completed on the council’s website, is February 26.

Detailed designs for the school, which is due to open in September 2015, will be subject to a separate consultation later in 2010.

Duncan Clark, interim director of learning and children’s services, said: “I would like to assure all existing users of the North Kingston Centre site that there will be extensive consultation to identify suitable alternative accommodation elsewhere in the borough for all displaced services.”

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