Concerns have been raised about the absence of a secondary school in plans for a new Harrogate district town of up to 4,000 homes.
The proposed town, called Maltkiln, will be built in the Hammerton and Cattal area and will include a GP surgery, shops and two primary schools — but not a secondary school.
According to a North Yorkshire County Council report, the scheme proposes to expand Boroughbridge High School, which has about 600 students, to meet demand for secondary school pupils.
Land in Maltkiln has also been “safeguarded” for a high school, but this would only be built in future should it be required.
Green Party councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn, told a Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee meeting today that plans to expand Boroughbridge High School to meet demand would generate its own problems.
He added that local residents were surprised the development did not have its own secondary school given that thousands of homes are expected to be built.
Cllr Warneken said:
“This is a massive impact on this community and everything needs to be in place that is going to address that impact.
“The pupils are not just going to come from the Maltkiln development, they are going to come from places like Whixley, Green Hammerton and Tockwith as well. All of those have experienced big developments as well.
“I am concerned that we are asking, as a result of Maltkiln, for a school to be further developed in Boroughbridge when I believe that Boroughbridge has its own set of problems in terms of levels of development and the number of pupils that will generate.”
Boroughbridge High School.
Officials at the county council said in a report that it was “not expected” that the size of the development would “generate sufficient pupils” to require a new secondary school.
Sue Turley, strategic planning officer in the county council’s children’s and young people service, said the council had forecast that Boroughbridge High School would be able to meet the demand for secondary school pupils from the new town.
She said:
“In terms of the secondary provision, it is expected that Boroughbridge High School would be expanded because there is sufficient space at the school and to grow the school, which is part of a federation with King James School.
“However, it is important to realise that there is safeguarded land within Maltkiln for secondary provision as indicated should this be required in the future. There is that provision there and I think that everybody wanted to see that there was that provision in that development plan for the site, which is now being consulted on.”
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Cllr Pat Marsh, chair of the area committee, raised concern that the move did not meet the sustainable aims of the development.
She said:
“Why are we saying this is a sustainable community and yet expecting children to travel at 11 to Boroughbridge?
“Then this joining with King James becomes problematic because Knaresborough itself has got over 1,000 new houses and where is the secondary school there? It’s King James.
“So there is going to be a major issue with secondary schools.”
Extension of consultation
Harrogate Borough Council has agreed to extend a consultation into Maltkiln until November 25.
Council officials launched a six-week consultation on October 3 into its draft new settlement development plan document, which sets out a 30-year vision and policy framework on how the town is designed and developed.
However, Cllr Warneken, who represents Ouseburn on North Yorkshire County Council, called for an extension amid concern that the planning process was being rushed ahead of the new North Yorkshire Council coming into being.
He issued the plea after it emerged the consultation documents had been changed midway through — without people being told — and raised the prospect of a judicial review.
You can take part in the consultation over the new town here.
