The Grays School site on Western Road, Newhaven is a viable, purpose-built school in the Meeching area with fully-functioning buildings, and grounds containing play areas and 34 protected trees.
Despite this, East Sussex County Council want to declare the land and buildings surplus to requirements. And that “Selling on the open market will generate a significant capital receipt and contribute towards funding of the County Council’s capital programme”.
They want to do it “for the best price reasonably obtainable”.
In other words, they want to bulldoze the site and sell it off for housing as quickly and cheaply as possible, depriving Newhaven of a valuable asset and yet want to put all the proceeds in the general coffers of the council, not back into the local community. They do this at a time when, by their own figures, Newhaven will have a two form primary provision shortfall from 2015 onwards.
Meanwhile, Meeching residents already have their children taught in temporary classrooms and use shared toilet facilities at Harbour Primary (much to the dismay of local residents and many parents) to get ESCC through this ‘short-term bulge’ in numbers.
This is complete madness!
It is clear that ESCC has a new plan for education both in Newhaven and throughout the county – by stealth, to close down intimate, caring, primary schools (which are relatively small and, therefore, less efficient) and replace them with new super-primaries (like that currently shoe-horned into the Habour Primary site) or to annexe existing secondary schools (as is happening at Seahaven Academy).
And then, of course, to sell off the former sites for highly profitable housing development.
If you want them to get away with this, forcing you to send your children to ever larger and more distant primaries then do nothing.
If you are concerned that this sets a disastrous precedent call ESCC’s Roxanne Baldwin (01273 336975) before December 5 to express your views directly or join the e-petition at: petitions24.com/ save_grays_school
Doug Johnson, Western Road, Newhaven
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here