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11
Aug
New schools planned for Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough may not be built
New schools planned for Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough are ‘under review’ with no guarantee of ever being built, according to a new report.
North Yorkshire Council has pledged to build schools to cater for thousands of new homes in west Harrogate, Clotherholme in Ripon and Manse Farm in Knaresborough.
But none of the projects has started — and declining pupil number forecasts, rising building costs and the slow housing market mean they possibly never will.
Jon Holden, the council’s head of school organisation and transport, revealed the news in a report that will go before the local authority’s Conservative cabinet on August 18.
You can read the report here.
It says “the overall programme has been reviewed” and the council has drawn up a secret list of school projects it plans to progress.
Funding to be ‘reprioritised’
In March 2022, the council approved a £30 million school building programme for 2022-25 in areas where major housing developments were taking place.
Manse Farm, Ripon Barracks and west Harrogate were chosen, along with sites in Northallerton, Malton and Norton were chosen.
The programme was funded by the government’s Basic Need Programme and housing developers.
But only Oakbridge Church of England Primary School in Northallerton has been delivered.
A council image from 2021 of how the Manse Farm school would look.
Mr Holden said other projects “have not been progressed because the anticipated demand for places has not transpired”. He recommends councillors agree to “reprioritise” funding “to schemes that are expected to proceed arising from the most recent pupil number forecasts”.
A list, which has not been released to the public, has been drawn up recommending which 2022-25 schemes should be carried forward and which ones should be removed.
The Stray Ferret has reported widely on concerns about the failure to build a school, rail halt and community centre, which were pledged along with 1,000 homes at Manse Farm and Highfield Farm on the outskirts of Knaresborough.
It featured in our series of articles about Section 106 legal agreements last year.
A computer generated image of how Clotherholme will look. Pic: AECOM
But this is the first time doubt has been cast on plans to build schools in Ripon and Harrogate.
Councillor Barbara Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat whose Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division includes the barracks site, said:
I would like to know, given that planning permission exists for 1,300 homes and 450 homes are expected to be commence in 2028, why does the Basic Need Programme describe the requirement for additional Ripon school places as uncertain? Homes England have already taken possession of the Deverill Barracks. If phase 2, Claro Barracks development is delayed, the impact of phase 1 does not disappear.
Boroughbridge to benefit?
Mr Holden’s report said the council building programme is “delivered in line with the requirements for school places”, adding:
The position is changeable and re-prioritisation within the programme has been required. Some schemes have been subject to slippage due to uncertainty over the speed of housing development
Pupil number forecasts currently indicate that the overall number of pupils attending maintained schools and academies are reducing, with a forecast decline of 3.6% forecast to occur between 2024-25 and 2029-30.
Only “a small number of areas in the county” are now expected to experience an increase in the demand for school places, he added.
A new funding programme will be brought forward next year for the period 2027-2030.
Mr Holden recommends the council spend £2.1 million on feasibility studies and designs for possible new building projects at Boroughbridge Primary School, Athelstan Community Primary School, Thorpe Willoughby Community Primary School, Hambleton CE Primary School, Carlton Primary School Academy and Sherburn High School, where “significant new housing developments” are taking place.
Another report next year may shed further light on which of these projects, or the ones that were planned for 2022-25, will be taken forward.
Cost of building a school
But a section of Mr Holden's report on ‘future challenges’ paints a stark picture. It says a one-form entry primary school would cost about £8 million to £9 million, which “could be a significant issue for the council over the medium to long-term”.
He also highlights concerns about government funding not keeping pace with inflation in the construction sector and developer contributions being lower than expected due to the weak house market.
He added:
“This is due to the staged trigger point arrangements that are common inSsection 106 agreements for significant housing developments. When this arises, the project is funded with Basic Need Grant, which is subsequently off-set following the receipt of the developer contribution.”
Council leader Carl Les and his cabinet will discuss the report next week.
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