Friday, October 08, 2010

The Battle is almost over

 Rejoice with me:
Stockton Council’s Cabinet will meet in public in Stockton Central Library at 1630 on 14-10-10 to consider a report on the future strategy for building work on schools. 
Among the recommendations from Officers is onethat the strategy should not include any further work on option D2 of the four options proposed for investigation to deal with the demands for pupil places in the South of the Borough”.
“To rebuild Egglescliffe School on a site in Preston Park…D2…depended on government funding being made available for a footbridge linking the park to Ingleby Barwick, a prospect that seems highly unlikely in the present climate.  During the feasibility work undertaken, the location of the proposed bridge also raised significant engineering issues.  In addition to this, any additional traffic from a community school facility could not be accommodated without significant upgrading of the road network, which would not be in keeping with the current access or be acceptable onto a principal road such as the A135 Yarm Road.  To locate a school within the area of the park would also require the re-location of the existing allotments. These matters pose significant legal, logistical and financial challenges and taken together with the envisaged technical difficulties have led to a view that option D2 should no longer be considered.”

In other words Stockton's Cabinet is being recommended by officers who were tasked with carrying out the studies to drop the Preston Park option for Egglescliffe School.  All the indications are that they will accept that recommendation.  Thank you to all who signed the petition and especially to those who took the campaign forward in the Protect Preston Park group.
 
As ward councillors we now have 2 aims - to ensure that the Park is protected for posterity and to ensure that a replacement building for Egglescliffe school is built on a suitable site.

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