Primary school plans put on hold (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Primary school plans put on hold

PARENTS are concerned that a project to build a new primary school in Malmesbury has been delayed after costs soared to what the county council feels is an unnacceptable level.

The delay has led to a request from the school's anxious board of governors for a meeting with county council representatives to establish exactly what is behind the hold up.

The new school is due to be built on the site of the current one in Tetbury Hill.

Malmesbury county councillor John Thomson explained the problem.

He said: "The costings for the school and the groundwork have come up higher than the budget figure we've got.

"They've quoted £85,000 for moving the portable buildings, which seems a ridiculous amount of money so we've asked for the surveyors and architects to go back and look at their figures.

"The officers and everyone are concerned because we can't build a school if we don't have tne money to pay for it.

"There is no point in us going to the planning committee with figures that we can't deliver."

Cllr Thomson added that he and council officers now plan to attend the school's governors' board meeting on January 16 to discuss the issues.

The new school will be built on two storeys in an s-shape design and comprise of 14 classrooms, all of which will have curved bay-type windows.

Included will be a new library and resource centre and the infants section will have a grassed roof.

Portable buildings curently housing five classrooms will be replaced by permanent structures.

It is understood the plans for the new building were completed last August, yet the school's governors are unhappy at the lack of progress.

School governor Tristan Cork said: "We are concerned at the ongoing delays and are urgently requesting a meeting before the full governors meeting on the 16th.

"If the county council want to come and make a presentation to us before that then that's fine."

"We've had nobody saying anything to us since August and nothing has happened.

"Work was supposed to start on the new school in January."

Money for the new-build was provided as part of the deal that saw the old secondary school at Filands demolished and the land sold by the county council to developer Persimmon Homes.

Linked in to the agreement was outline planning permission for Persimmon to build new homes on the car park in front of the present primary school.

The county council hoped to generate £6 million from selling Filands and £1 million from redeveloping the land in front of the primary school.

The money would be used to repay the £4.5 million spent by the county council on Malmesbury School's new Corn Gastons premises and raise £2.5 million for the new primary school to be built.

It is thought, however, that the county council made more money than expected from the sale of Filands and could have more than £3 million to spend on the new primary school.