Towneley Park 'super school' plan gets green light

[Neal]

THE controversial school site in Towneley Park for the new Unity College has been given the green light by council bosses – dealing a blow to protesters who say it is unsafe.

Lancashire County Councillors voted unanimously this week to continue supporting the building of the new school, on land at Lower Towneley playing fields in Burnley, as part of the £250m. Building Schools for the Future project.

The new Unity College, replacing the former Towneley High School, will be a 1,050 place secondary school – just across the River Calder from its current site in Towneley Park.

Protest has been raging for 18 months since the site was suggested, with campaigners against the site, including the Friends of Towneley Park, arguing the area is a flood plain and unsuitable for building on, would cause traffic problems and disturb wildlife.

Towneley for the People, Fulledge Action Community Team and the Friends of Towneley Park launched petitions and protests, with Towneley for the People sending an electronic petition to the Prime Minister.

Mrs Carole Galbraith, spokesman for Towneley for the People, attended the meeting at County Hall. She said: "This committee is just blindly following advice they get, they are like sheep and there is no-one speaking up for Burnley.

"We are obviously very disappointed but at least the Environment Agency and some councillors did ask questions about the flooding and how to stop it, and some of the problems the fencing could cause, so hopefully those potential problems can be minismised.

"We just think it is incredibly sad this is happening to one of the most beautiful parks in the North West. We are very lucky to have such a lovely park that takes us right up into the moors and it is a real shame this misguided move will take some of that away when there are better sites."

Development control committee chairman Coun. John Cavanagh, a county councillor for Burnley Central East, said: "Councillors of all parties supported this plan. We have listened to local residents and addressed as many of their concerns as possible. It means the staff and children of Unity College can look forward to moving into state-of-the-art facilities."

Towneley Park 'super school' plan gets green light - Burnley Express

It sounds to me like they are being very blinkered about these 'state of the art facilities' and not listening to a bit of common sense. The very fact that they are building on a flood plane should be setting alarm bells ringing after all the problems we have seen where that has been done in other locations.

There was also something on the radio a couple of days ago where a spokesman said that bigger did not mean better where schools are concerned and that pupils in fact learn much better in smaller schools even if they don't have all the all-singing, all-dancing latest equipment.

[poppy]

Have they not grasped they that these faceless institutions produce institutionalized Kids? Teachers should know who they are teaching and form bonds of respect with them. How is this possible in these vast blocks.
Academic learning is only half the equation, life skills respect and community are the other half, and can't be taught in vast vacuums like thee super schools.

Just another crap property development scheme sneakily suggesting it somehow helps kids in poorer areas. Been done before, doesn't work.