Council land sale site eyed for new high school in Rushwick
An 18-acre plot, just off the A4440, is currently up for sale
Land on the edge of Worcester being sold off by the council should be used to build a new secondary school for the city, say councillors.
An 18-acre plot in Rushwick, just off the A4440, is currently up for sale by Worcestershire County Council.
The land is earmarked to be part of the extension of Rushwick, a scheme that would see 1,000 homes, a railway station, primary school and shops built as part of a plan that would almost double the size of the village.
But councillors in St John’s and Dines Green say the site would be the ideal location for a much-needed new secondary school.
Demand for Worcester secondary school places has risen in recent years and councillors say Christopher Whitehead Language College in St John’s is now full to capacity.
City and county councillor Richard Udall said the Rushwick site is “perfect for a site for a new school”.
“It should not be sold,” he said. “The council should keep the land and start the process to build a new secondary school to accommodate the extra growth in population caused by the western expansion of Worcester.
“Worcestershire County Council has over £33m allocated within its capital programme for a new school for the city, by using land we already own we could save money and ensure a school is located at this site.”
Council plans to build a new school at Newtown Road remain on ice despite two attempts to remove them from the capital programme completely.
Work has been done to increase the number of secondary school places across the city but councillors still say a new high school will be needed in the long-term.
Cllr Udall said of the Rushwick land: “At the very least, it should only be sold to a developer, linked to the existing and proposed developments, with a condition that they build a new high school.
“I understand the council needs to sell land to balance the books, but selling this land, at this location, could in the long term cost us more.”
Matt Lamb, city councillor for Dines Green and Grove Farm, said: “We cannot keep building homes without making sure there are enough school places for the children who will live in them.
“This land presents a real opportunity to provide a new high school for the west of Worcester.
“We should think long-term and ensure children in St John’s and surrounding communities have access to excellent local education, rather than selling the land and potentially having to find another site at greater cost.”
Dan Boatright-Greene, cabinet member for education, skills and SEND, said sufficient secondary school places for Worcester City secondary pupils between 2029 and 2033 will be provided through the expansion of existing high schools.
He said: “The budget required to build a new secondary school requires borrowing and a significant proportion of grant funding of such magnitude that the project risks jeopardising the affordability of the whole Education Capital programme for all of Worcestershire.
“The reality of building a new school in the current financial climate is the council would need to borrow the money because the government is not providing sufficient funding and developers are not legally forced to cover the costs of building the schools we need.
“Why should residents have to foot an extra one percent on their council tax bills for every secondary school built to offset the government not being properly prepared for the repercussions of their house building plans, when we know from forecasting that at this time the council does not need to do this?”