Report to follow.
Minutes:
Yvette Stanley, Director, Children, Schools and Families (CSF), introduced the item explaining the purpose was to provide the Panel with an update on its reference on the new school from July 2016 and to clarify demand for places as well as outlining the challenges and the risks. Noted that the CSF Department is leading on making the case for the school. It is also working with the Education Funding Agency (EFA) which is the major funder and Harris as the provider. The Environment and Regeneration Department has an important role in securing the site of the new school. Highlighted that there have been various legal challenges to the development which may mean CSF officers are unable to answer member questions in detail.
Noted the concerns expressed by the local community regarding the development. Highlighted that the Council is listening and responding. For example, by altering the plans for the development of Merton Hall. Acknowledged the concerns expressed by the LGBTQ community and that whilst she is personally unable to speak on behalf of the Elim Church, the church is subject to equality legislation and couldn’t discriminate through its lettings of the building.
Tom Procter, Head of Contracts & School Organisation, noted the case for the new school was about providing needed additional school places but also about increasing choice and decreasing student travel. Stated that the consultation on the new school had generated positive excitement – over 300 people attended the consultation meetings, 400 plus consultation questionnaires were returned with 95% of respondents in agreement with the proposal to open the school. Highlighted the additional 260 secondary applications from Merton residents for September 2018 compared to 2017 and that six out of the eight Merton secondaries are already full.
Panel members, whilst acknowledging the need for the new school, expressed the need to address the issues that have been raised by the local community about the transfer of the freehold of Merton Hall to Elim Church. There is unhappiness that a community asset is being given over to the use of the church and that there will be architectural changes to Merton Hall. Also, there is concern that lettings might be made in an unfair way and to the disadvantage of elements of the community.
In response to member questions, Yvette Stanley, Tom Procter and Jane McSherry, (Assistant Director, Education) provided the following clarification:
· Tom Procter: the Council used a Compulsory Purchase Order approach to negotiate for the Elim Church land. However, the current occupants still had to be relocated with the Council needing to provide alternative accommodation for the church within the SW19 postcode. There were very few options available with Merton Hall the most viable;
· Tom Procter: the current design for the redevelopment of Merton Hall gained the highest rating from the independent Design Review Panel before being approved by the council’s Planning Committee. The local listing of Merton Hall is focused on the frontage which will be renovated through the redevelopment. An application has been made by a member of the public to Historic England for the building to receive National Heritage listing. This will go to the Secretary of State for decision in January 2018;
· Tom Procter: the Elim Church will be given the freehold of Merton Hall with capital works undertaken and the council with receive the freehold of their site;
· Yvette Stanley: not for officers to speak on behalf of any third party organisation but noted the Elim Church is signed-up to the Evangelical Alliance code of conduct which opposes all attitudes and actions which victimise or diminish people whose affections are directed towards people of the same sex;
· Yvette Stanley: noted the Council’s support for the LBGTQ community and the need for co-educational school places to support students who are transgender or gender fluid;
· Tom Procter: Merton Hall is closed with all 12 community groups that had used the hall regularly now relocated. This includes using the new All Saints Primary School and Pincott Road community venue provision;
· Tom Procter: there is an overage in place making provision for the Council to gain a share of any profit should the Elim Church sell the Merton Hall building in the future;
· Tom Procter: following consultation Harris Wimbledon changed their admissions policy to remove the Wimbledon Park station nodal point but replaced it with Haydons Road station which should still provide some priority to children residing near Wimbledon Park;
· Tom Procter: when the need for a new secondary school was identified five or more years ago officers considered a more central location may be desirable but changed their advice on the location of the new school because it became clear none of the existing Wimbledon schools were willing to expand to accommodate growing populations. Additionally, more of the child population growth is in the Wimbledon area. At this point it became clear that the new school needed to be located in Wimbledon;
· Yvette Stanley: all the alternative sites had huge challenges whilst the High Path site does have challenges but these aren’t as considerable. It was all detailed in the July 2016 Cabinet report;
· Yvette Stanley: an all-through school could have been possible. Educationalists have different views on these. However, it would have meant building on the green space of an existing primary school, which would have been an issue. Also, the foot print would have necessitated a high and narrow building near existing houses;
· Jane McSherry: the Department is continuing to work with Merton Abbey Primary to make sure it is happy with shared use of the site. It is losing less of its playground than original thought likely and this area will be a games space that they can use at set times; and
· Yvette Stanley: If the Historic England application delays the development there will be cost implications but these will depend on the solution used in mitigation. The Director is working with those from Environment and Regeneration and Corporate Services to plan accordingly and look at a range of solutions.
Cllr Cooper-Marbiah responded to a member’s question to clarify that the administration was not acting according to the instructions of Harris. Rather the location of the new school had been determined by need.
RESOLVED: Panel members resolved to submit the following reference to Cabinet at its meeting on 11 December 2017: The members of the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee request Cabinet seek formal written reassurance from the Elim Church that under its management Merton Hall lettings will enable the venue to remain for the use of all the community and that these lettings will be fully compliant with equality legislation.
Supporting documents: