Future of Theale Primary School lies with parish council, residents hear
Theale Parish Council to consult with residents about new site for popular, oversubscribed school
PLANS for an urgently-needed school to replace Theale Primary School lie in the hands of Theale Parish Council, West Berkshire Council officers have stated.
The Church Street school, rated outstanding by Ofsted, has been oversubscribed for a number of years but West Berkshire Council has secured £7m of funding in order to build a replacement.
The council identified 11 potential sites but has said that the North Street playing fields is the only one that is suitable and financially viable.
The situation is complicated, however, as the land is owned by the Englefield Estate but leased to Theale Parish Council until 2029, meaning that the parish council must agree to relinquish five acres of land before an application can be submitted.
The school currently has capacity for 210 children but needs to expand to cater for 315 children from September 2017. And to cope with future housing developments the school will need to expand to 420 places.
Project officer Bill Bagnell said that the council quickly realised it was ‘heading down a blind alleyway’ in terms of rebuilding on the existing site.
This option, costing between £4.5m and £6.5m, would cause disruption to the school and would also require demolishing the 19th Century school buildings and expanding on to the recreation ground.
Residents then heard why the council had rejected the 10 other sites in the village, either through additional costs or because they had been put forward for housing, and how it had reached its decision regarding the North Street playing fields (referred to as site 4).
Mr Bagnell explained that council planners felt that the site was ‘by far and away’ the best for a school as it would be well situated for future development.
The land is also affordable and would enable children to walk to school and therefore reduce traffic levels.
Mr Bagnell said that the Englefield Estate was prepared to release whatever land was necessary but admitted that it may not be possible to do anything if the parish council did not release the land.
And, residents heard, if the school were to open in September 2017 a planning application would have to be submitted in November this year.
“From our side of things everything looks good but on your side, you lose public open space; but you gain a brand new school.
“That’s for you to weigh up as to whether that’s suitable,” Mr Bagnell told residents.
The feeling among residents was divided between the council’s preferred option and a site on the edge of the village bordered by The Green and the A340 (known as site 1).
As one resident summed up: “Everyone in the room agrees we need a new school… the problem comes as to where we put it.
“People want to know where it’s going to go, what we’re going to lose and what we’re going to gain.”
Vice chairwoman of Theale Parish Council, Becky Williams, suggested that site one would be a better location for a new school, as it was next to the proposed development of 350 homes at Lakeside.
Residents also raised concerns about the increased amount of traffic accessing the preferred site off Englefield Road, while some accused the council of building a new school simply to cope with new housing earmarked for the village.
But the chair of the meeting, the MP for Reading West Alok Sharma, rebuffed the claim.
“You will have to expand the school one way or another regardless of whether one house is built in the catchment area or not,” he said.
In an impassioned speech, Mrs Williams urged residents to fill out consultation forms to help form an opinion about the future of children’s education in the village.
“I have no doubt that we need a new school.
“We want to know what every single person in Theale thinks about this. We will take every view on board. We are here as a voice for the residents of Theale.
“The decision will be based on what we feel is the best for the community of Theale.”
Head of education at West Berkshire Council Ian Pearson concluded: “There’s an urgency to it which is why we are trying to move it along. If we don’t hit that deadline our options are limited.
“Theale requires a bigger school, a new school and it’s now just about where that school goes.
“Village children are at the forefront of our view. The issue is urgent; the money is limited and its availability is limited. We now leave it in the parish council’s hands.”
The district councillor for Theale Alan Macro (Lib Dem) said that while the council had explained how it had reached its decision, he had found the meeting frustrating as it had not provided sufficient information to residents about its chosen site, including concerns about road safety.
Theale Parish Council will now consult with residents before deciding whether it will relinquish the land.
