CONCERNS RAISED OVER GREEN FIELD ACADEMY PLANS

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 23rd Jun 2009

Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson for Durham, Carol Woods, has expressed concern over the Labour County Council's proposals for the new Academy site.

The County Council has put forward two options for the location of the Academy. Both would include building on Belmont School's detached playing field, with Option One also building over the local community park and Option Two involving the redevelopment of the current school site in Belmont.

Carol Woods said, "I remain wholly opposed to the plan to have an Academy at all. It is clear that parents, staff and residents do not want it and the Council should listen to them and provide this investment without forcing them to accept Academy status. Sadly however it appears our Labour Council plan to proceed despite public opposition and in that case we must ensure that they do not make further mistakes in the process of building the Academy.

"I share the concerns of parents and local residents who have contacted me in recent days over the proposed locations for the Academy. Either one of the two options would involve building on green field sites and that seems unnecessary given we already have two schools sites, in Belmont and Gilesgate, that could be redeveloped.

"The Council's first option - building on the school's detached playing field and the local park - would have a negative effect on the whole community, destroying a valuable green space that the local parish council has worked especially hard to turn into a excellent facility for people from across Durham.

"Given that both of the Council's options would produce a split site school divided by a busy road, surely the common sense solution is to use the existing school sites. This way we would preserve the green field spaces. I have no confidence in the Council listening to this advice however. This whole process has been conducted with undue haste and with no regard for the views of the people who will be most keenly affected - the parents, pupils and staff of these two schools."