Council bosses consider Hove leisure centre site for new primary

8:44am Thursday 13th November 2008 in News By Andy Chiles

New school plan for King Alfred site New school plan for King Alfred site

The King Alfred Leisure Centre is being looked at as a site for a new school.

Brighton and Hove City Council has confirmed it is considering the Hove seafront plot as a possible home for a new primary after plans for a £290 million housing and leisure complex collapsed.

The council has been scouring the area for a site for a new school to meet the demands of a growing population. It has been allocated Government funding which would pay for the construction.

Staff at the council education department said there were few plots large enough available and the King Alfred was being considered.

The future of the site has been uncertain since Sunday when financial backers finally pulled out of an ambitious scheme including two "wobbly" towers designed by architect Frank Gehry.

Campaigners who opposed that project have called for the rundown leisure centre to be refurbished, others have argued it should be kept available for major redevelopment.

It is not yet known how much of the site would be taken up by a new primary, if that project was pursued, and where exactly it would be located.

Councillor Averil Older, who represents Central Hove, said she was in favour of a school being built in conjunction with a refurbishment of the sports centre.

Coun Older said: "It seems a good idea to me to build a school by the side of the centre. There is space there for a small school.

"I've heard people say that it is dangerous to have a primary school that close to the seafront but that sounds ridiculous to me."

The council has already expressed interest in using sites at either the Connaught Centre, in Connaught Road, Hove, or the disused Holy Trinity Church, in Blatchington Road, Hove, for a primary.

The Connaught Centre belongs to City College Brighton and Hove and it has made clear it intends to continue to use it for several years.

The college had previously discussed selling it as part of a redevelopment of its facilities across the city.

Holy Trinity Church is Grade II listed and has been singled out by the Victorian Society as a key conservation target.

The council's cabinet is due to discuss options for the King Alfred at a meeting at Hove Town Hall on Thursday, November 20, at 4.30pm.

The education department is working on a report about the new primary school which is not due to be presented until next year.

Comments(32)

Voice of the silent Majority says...
9:04am Thu 13 Nov 08

Is this really the best place for a school or is this an idea to save fave of the clueless people who have cocked up so far.
Now they will be able to say "no look we got a school and you can use the gym at night" Also does Hove need another primary school or are children going to be bussed here?

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miss_lad_pink says...
9:52am Thu 13 Nov 08

Why can't they just leave the King Alfred alone! Its pretty much a land mark of Hove why knock something down and put something that has no meaning to the history of Hove by placing a poxy primary school on the seafront - yeah lets take a postcard of it! Why can't they just restore the King Alfred to its former glory and let it lay, surely residents from all over would love to have a big say in all this rather than just the council being oblivious to the fact that King Alfred is and always will be a big part of Hove as it stands!

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jack reagan says...
9:56am Thu 13 Nov 08

Why not turn it into a post office?

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King from Hove says...
9:58am Thu 13 Nov 08

Oh dear.Clueless Council.Why is it that for years regardless if Labour or Tory rule,they just cannot get to grips with improving B&H.A school is just plain daft especially having one anywhere near the busy Kingsway.

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Charismatic Andrew says...
10:09am Thu 13 Nov 08

Ideal place for one of those lap-dancing places that are becoming so popular if you ask me.

Or how about a school during the day and a lap-dancing club at night to maximise the use.

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harwood says...
11:10am Thu 13 Nov 08

hmmm, what an ideal place place for a primary school, right on one of the busiest roads in Brighton, and isn't it also right next to a petrol station too? What an ideal place to put young children, the council have plainly just lost the plot now!

Surely there must be a better use for the site if the wobbly towers aren't being built now, how about a conference & sports centre on the site, much better a bit out of town than being slap bang in the centre like the ageing Brighton centre!

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NoWaySeriously says...
11:15am Thu 13 Nov 08

you're joking, right?

how many people have to say "why not build a NEW leisure centre on the site of an OLD leisure centre" before anyone in the council takes any notice?

this is the WORST place for a school. a busy road & a petrol station right outside...

what genius came up with this prank?

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feline1 says...
11:22am Thu 13 Nov 08

I think we should be very careful, cos I was watching this documentary called "Brass Eye", and it showed how paedophiles have started disguising themselves as schools in order to trick children. So beware! This new school may not be what it seems.

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VulpesVulpes says...
11:24am Thu 13 Nov 08

It isn't April Fools Day again, is it....or are our beloved council practicing for next year's April 1st?

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Redbeard says...
11:37am Thu 13 Nov 08

New leisure centre please...stoopid council wasting time and money and brain cells again.

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mark 62 says...
11:40am Thu 13 Nov 08

just shows you the long term planning of the council, up until monday the centre was going to be falty towers, now suddenly theycan see a school? it wont happen as the council are useless!! i suggest councillor bovril goes back to here boat in turkey and forgets her career as a busy body!

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Wiggsy says...
12:36pm Thu 13 Nov 08

NoWaySeriously wrote:
you're joking, right? how many people have to say "why not build a NEW leisure centre on the site of an OLD leisure centre" before anyone in the council takes any notice? this is the WORST place for a school. a busy road & a petrol station right outside... what genius came up with this prank?
Entirely Agree!!!

Perhaps if the Council read all of the comments ever posted on the redevelopment of the King Alfred, they might actually make the right decision for the community and build what I suspect the majority want which is a fantastic sports complex we'd all be proud of.

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ashfield says...
12:46pm Thu 13 Nov 08

The reason for suggesting a school on the site is because that way central govt will fund it. The council does not have enough money to redevelop the leisure centre, and is very worried about the embarrassent of the site being empty. Putting a school there at no cost to local govt avoids that.
I agree with other posters - that while Hove does need another primary school (a non faith one, that is), the busy sea front is not the best place.
Can the council not tell us if they know us how K2 got built in Crawley; surely there must be a way? B&H sports facilities are very poor for a place this size.

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Jonathon says...
12:57pm Thu 13 Nov 08

With this council it could turn into anything. The government I am sure would like it to be a home for immigrants. I can't see why they cannot spent our money up grading it and bring back the wonderful ballroom that use to be operational. I would think this is the only city in the country which does not have a proper ballroom.

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feline1 says...
1:01pm Thu 13 Nov 08

OMG we are living in ballroom deprivation!

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brightonalex says...
1:06pm Thu 13 Nov 08

Jonathon wrote:
With this council it could turn into anything. The government I am sure would like it to be a home for immigrants. I can't see why they cannot spent our money up grading it and bring back the wonderful ballroom that use to be operational. I would think this is the only city in the country which does not have a proper ballroom.
I've seen immigrants blamed for a lot of things but a lack of ballrooms? Thank god we live in such a diverse and tolerant society, one so mentally prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century and not completely barking...

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Ms B says...
1:21pm Thu 13 Nov 08

As a parent who has to drive several miles a day to go to my allocated school I am delighted the council wants to look into turning this into a school. I can't imagine it will be any different from having to cross the Old Shoreham Road or Portland Road to get to school, and how lovely being so close to the sea.

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LB says...
1:35pm Thu 13 Nov 08

"OMG we are living in ballroom deprivation!"

I have the same problem since my pants shrunk in the wash.

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King from Hove says...
2:35pm Thu 13 Nov 08

Why do we keep voting in idiots who just havent a clue.They are all the same Labour/Tories.We need a new local party in B&H who will work for local residents only and not be swayed/directed by central government.I was so happy that Labour were thrown out at the last local election.However we now have Labour clones running then Council.

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NoWaySeriously says...
3:41pm Thu 13 Nov 08

King from Hove wrote:
Why do we keep voting in idiots who just havent a clue.They are all the same Labour/Tories.We need a new local party in B&H who will work for local residents only and not be swayed/directed by central government.I was so happy that Labour were thrown out at the last local election.However we now have Labour clones running then Council.
Because they make promises before the elections, then screw us over the second they get voted in and there is NOTHING we can do about it until the next election! Not that I voted last time, as I saw no point. Whoever we get will be just as bad as any other option.

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bug eye says...
4:08pm Thu 13 Nov 08

der on a the busiest road next to a petrol station and in an exposed position to the strong winds and elements, how will a cheaply made school building cope. dont even think about this one council and waste our money or you will be out in a flash. the seafront is clearly for leisure and a valuable site like this should be used for just that and nothing else. why dont you just get on with building the ice rink and i360 and conference centre etc. etc. etc. because you surely dont have a clue, thats why they havent been built either. this is now getting a joke, lets all move to worthing it is sounding a more attractive place at the moment. someone out there somewhere must know how to boot the leader mary mears out, after all her promises she is clearly an overpaid admin asst. she is very busy though with her studentification agenda what a load of rubbish too, just sort out the antisocial behaviour and leave the landlords alone.

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yorkie44 says...
6:03pm Thu 13 Nov 08

A few days ago the council wanted to keep the pool because their policy is to encourage people to take exercise. Now they want a school. No wonder nothing ever happens in Brighton. The previous comments about the state of our council are correct - no matter which party gets in the views of the residents of Brighton don't seem to matter to them. As well as the "Your Say" section the Argus should add another section limited to the councillors so that we can get a response from them.

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dcsussex says...
6:08pm Thu 13 Nov 08

am i missing something?

its a leisure centre, people are using it and will continue using it.
whats wrong with keeping it as a leisure centre for the people of brighton. yes it needs a face lift, hey ho give it one, but a normal up to date building one.
this on going story is weird.

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harwood says...
6:27pm Thu 13 Nov 08

so to summarise, we would all like a swimming pool / sports complex with a primary school and ballroom?

Wonder if they can do it like one of those pop-up cards as it's a relatively small space!

Or maybe they'll just blame it on the credit crunch and not their half ar*ed ineptitude?

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minimee says...
9:15pm Thu 13 Nov 08

t could work if the entrance was in the old kings esplanade that was paved over for the 80's pool and flumes-ie away from the kingsway and petrol station.It would save wrecking existing primary schools in the area,and save parents living the lie of going to church to get into st tescos school.Also be great to go the hole hog-re-open the bowling alley,put in a cinema,refurbish the whole lot,,why not?anything to save the existing building.

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davyboy says...
10:33pm Thu 13 Nov 08

Wiggsy wrote:
NoWaySeriously wrote:
you're joking, right? how many people have to say "why not build a NEW leisure centre on the site of an OLD leisure centre" before anyone in the council takes any notice? this is the WORST place for a school. a busy road & a petrol station right outside... what genius came up with this prank?
Entirely Agree!!!

Perhaps if the Council read all of the comments ever posted on the redevelopment of the King Alfred, they might actually make the right decision for the community and build what I suspect the majority want which is a fantastic sports complex we'd all be proud of.
is it april the first? the council dare not read any of these comments, because they cannot handle the truth! brighton needs a NEW LEISURE CENTRE, as befits its status as a city. come on council, listen to the people who vote you in, or you may well be joining the dole queue at election time.

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hannah m says...
10:37pm Thu 13 Nov 08

My first point is Hove desperately needs another primary school, and needs one NOW. There is vacuum in central Hove where children are too far from all existing schools to get a place easily - anywhere within walking distance. Especially if they are not Christian so therefore not eligible to go to St Andrews, the C of E primary. As the demographics of this area of the city change we need to address this issue promptly, to make sure that the children of Hove have A school to go to.
But I also believe we cannot loose the leisure centre, especially one that is so well used like King Alfred.
If the government is to fill its targets of getting children healthier. Children need to walk a local school AND go swimming.
Hove needs both - no compromise.

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Crunchie says...
10:38pm Thu 13 Nov 08

I think it would be great to have a new leisure centre. Specifically a fantastic, state of the art leisure centre. Why not? And let's have a ballroom too. With gold floors! And ceilings made of emeralds!

I'm sure that no-one here would complain about the council tax increases needed to pay for it.

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NoWaySeriously says...
9:39am Fri 14 Nov 08

Who is going to start the campaign then???

If the Argus is a responsible rag, it'll help us with this campaign to actually rebuild the leisure... as a leisure centre... not a school, homeless shelter or barrat homes estate.

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pedcoates@tiscali.co.uk says...
11:21am Fri 14 Nov 08

If addional school places are needed in the city, is consideration being given to using existing schools for 2 shift operation? Existing schools seem too eager to send their pupils home at 3.30pm or thereabouts, which means they could be used for a second sitting, perhaps for older pupils, shortly afterwards until say 8 or 9pm. This, and/or weekend schools would make much more cost effective use of existing buildings and other resources, and further capital would not be wasted on schools which only open for 6 or 7 hours on Mondays to Fridays. Another option would be to stagger holidays, so that schools are not closed down unproductively for weeks at a time. Some lateral thinking should be applied to this problem.

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yorkie44 says...
5:24pm Sat 15 Nov 08

One Prince of Wales gave us the Royal Pavillion, perhaps we should ask the latest for his views.

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Andre Spooner says...
4:22pm Mon 17 Nov 08

I want a shiny new HORSE ARENA. I want a horse arena. Dancing little horses all stacked up on top of each other. Making those dear little horse sounds. Like "moch-ha! ha! veet! ha!"

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