General Chat

like i say i dont do politics, but

to loose even the over flow car par oft he park is a massive loss, to the nature and the surrounding of the park, which is an amazing place for littones,

i know mine love oging for the day and especially went hey hold there hugeeeee summer avent whic is expensive but worth every penny,


a sad loss to our county if they decide to build a school on any part of a wondeful park xxxx

I've followed this thread with interest - not because I know the area well, but because it interested me.

What LadyinRed has demonstrated (to me, at least) is that these decisions aren't as easy as they might first appear.

If I'm understanding correctly, Government has made available money to improve the physical structure of schools, but that money comes with some rules, including - or so I understand - a rule about not using the money to acquire land.

Which leaves the Council in question with a bit of a dilemma. Either turn the money down or find a way forward.

I can just imagine the kind of headlines that would have come with "Council turns down Government handout to replace worn out school" or somesuch

I personally don't think that 40k is a lot of money to carry out this kind of feasibility study, given that the architects, quantity surveyors and suchlike would no doubt need to carry out site surveys, which would I assume have to involve site investigations (ie digging holes etc). These guys won't come cheap - and nor should they - they're highly qualified people after all.

I know I'm no expert, but what seems wrong to me in all of this lot is the "rule" about using Government money to buy land. If that is the best option, then why not? I don't live in Stockton but I do live in the north east, and we aren't exactly short on brownfield sites.

Finally, just a personal reflection. LadyinRed is - I guess - a local Council member, who's doing her bit to represent local people. Good on her to give her time and energies to doing so.

Sue x

Mrs Grumpy - the problem is that Egglescliffe School has separate playing fields further along the road rather than on the same site as most schools have.
So, a normal rebuild would mean that the "new" school would be built on the site of the playing fields leaving the school without that facility for the duration. The old school would then be demolished and that site turned into playing fields. Trouble is that these playing fields are under overhead power lines and people don't want a new school building there.
Also, massive development in the borough means that Ingleby Barwick does not have enough secondary school places and hundreds of children are having to be bussed in each day to Egglescliffe School at great expense. What is really needed is an expansion of school places in Ingleby Barwick but there is no land that is owned by the council to be able to do that. Building Schools for the Future money cannot be used to buy land.
Preston Park is seen as some as being the middle way and that if we build a bridge over the River Tees then all these children will walk across it to access their new school. Where the money will come from to build this bridge is a complete unknown. They won't need parents in cars to drop them off and pick them up again so no extra traffic congestion. Yeah.....

Great to see the program on Ann Widdecombe tonight. I know the area well. Far worse than it came across. I moved away from a place nearby for my childrens safety.

This area seriously needs some money - but again, people have a tendancy to throw it rather than take time to understand the needs and spend it more efficiently.

No reflection on Ann - as she really achieves great results locally - absolute honestly and integrity. Shame there arn't more.

Jill, its the relocation of Egglescliffe School to the overflow car park at Preston Park and adjacent allotments

Still cannot see how looking at drainage, road access etc will cost between 40k and 60k ...

Is this a "new" school or the rebuild of an existing school? If it's a rebuild what is wrong with rebuilding on the existing site?

I expect the council owns plenty of other pockets of land so they do not need to concrete over a park. Someone somewhere is making a fast buck on this one ...


Jill

Because they have to be seen to be "exploring all options".
They will look at things like drainage and road access which is where the costs come in.
Only when they have decided if it's feasible to build on the site will they go to public consultation despite the weight of public opposition already put forward. If you have access to facebook then please look at:
http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Stockton-On-Tees-United-Kingdom/Hands-Off-Preston-Park/257257510795

That's just outrageous !!!

WHY do they feel duty bound to consider this when it's clearly not in the interests of the community?

Someone somewhere is benefitting from this i'm sure. ! Just not the local tax payer !!!

Do the Tax Payers Alliance (or whatever they're called) know about this?

xx

What I'd like to know is exactly how a feasibility study will cost £40K - £60k?

What on earth are they doing with it?

Hi folks - sorry not been around to reply since last night but been busy with the day job....
Anyway, Stockton Borough Council (on which I am the Opposition ,Muffy) is going to spend anywhere between £40 - £60k on a feasibility study on building a new school in Preston Park. This is despite thousands of people signing a petition protesting against such a development. It will not only take away a huge chunk of public space but will also remove the allotments which are held in huge regard by the allotment holders. The new build is as a result of the Building Schools for the Future Programme which says that the funding cannot be used to buy land and so any developments must be on land already in council ownership.
There has been massive public interest as shown by Teresa W's post both locally, nationally and internationally. Preston Park is a tremendous facility for the entire borough hosting huge events which draw in massive crowds bringing tourism to the area.
The sad thing is that rather than just say no, the council feels that it must bow to the whim of local politicians and spend all of this money on exploring the "feasibility" of such an option. So, £40 - £60k of local tax payers money will be spent on such an exercise. In the meantime we'll look at cutting essential council services!

i wont be happy if they build at Preston park
my family spend a lot of time there
and they hold big shows there
its a great day out for the kids they have a Victorian street
large open spaces
and a river and play park not forgetting the animals
and once you have paid to go in the museum
you keep your tickets and its free all year
then its a free day out fr the kids after that all year round
they also have a cafe thats reasonably priced and decent food


also i owe baby Satan a helicopter ride which they have every year

Where I used to live in Essex, they built a multi-million pound state of the art police station. To do so they cut down the last of the ancient woodland within the town, destroying yet another of the few green areas there were left. Protests went on for a couple of years, with protestors climbing trees that were due to be cut down, ancient oaks, which would normally have a conservation order were destroyed.

Yes it was a lovely police station, and worked really well for the area.

But five years later, that station was closed, another new one was built some 10 miles away.

What a waste of public money that was! Why, after all the trouble it caused, couldn't they have just used the first one and made that a central station? It was big enough, and modern enough to cope. Even the police themselves were flabbergasted.

So......I suspect it's a mix of greased palms and easy-to-gain government funding for such projects. I'm sure schools are treated in the same way.

They have just chopped down a wooded area some miles from me to re-locate a school also, and leisure facilities, ruined the one bit of greenery in a built up area...but there seems from what i googled last night a points system they use to determine whether to re-build a school on its present site to get it up to scratch, and on that scale it was 90 (for the new site) against 46. But won't that always be the case anyway.

Couldn't find out how much the 'feasability study' was though.

Ohh, I was hoping Lady in Red could have come back to us on this one.

Ok, theres lots of info about it if anyone is interested

here...

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2010/02/12/preston-park-on-stockton-school-shortlist-84229-25820939/

and here...

http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Stockton-On-Tees-United-Kingdom/Hands-Off-Preston-Park/257257510795

(for those on facebook)

Actually...even though it doesn't concern me directly...I think I may just do it anyhow...

outrageous abuse of public funds by the sounds of it.

*watch this space*

lol xx

Stray. If this affects you hon. Why don't YOU put in for a FOI (freedom of information) request where they are bound by law to tell you what the money is being spent on.

I'm not really up on this...but i know people that can help..

If you're interested in giving it a shot PM me and I'll put you in touch with them xx

very quiet on this thread ...

likewise :0)

I daren't speak now lol