This pre-hearing is to inform the Public of the procedures for conduct of the Hearing.
It is not a forum to introduce new arguments.
We would all like to see more sports facilities but there is a limit to what local authorities can do with the land and resources available
Sandy McGarvey
their is insufficient space to provide full run-offs etc.
"It is important that Councillors are made aware of the interest across Bishopbriggs in the details of this planning application. The school will be with us for the next 30 years so it is vital that the correct decisions are made by councillors on that night."
"The fight for a school that Bishopbriggs can be proud of for the next 30 years is coming to a conclusion. We owe it to our children and their children to say we fought for the best possible school - not just the cheapest option."
Donald Macdonald
© Google EarthSCOTLAND IS poised for a retail development boom with more than 1.5 million square feet of new shopping space scheduled to open during 2007, according to newly compiled figures.
The flood of space combined with troubled times on the high street, however, has left somepropertyagentswonderingif there will be enough retailers on the expansion trail to fillout all the corridors. Compiled by realestateconsultants Colliers CRE, the numbers only include major schemes and not the individual shops, smaller supermarkets and retail parks popping up around the country.
Option 1: Entrance opposite Pentland Drive.
Option 2: Entrance moved left nearer 'Surplus' land.
Prime land that will be lost from educational use in BishopbriggsPart of the problem with this PPP project has been the lack of proper consultation. Mr Anderson states that the council's PPP team has worked with its building partner but makes no mention of working with local groups.
From a public perspective, it appears that a veil of secrecy has been drawn over these proposals and that all reasonable observations are brushed aside as irrelevant or too late to be considered.
East Dunbartonshire states that it is committed to community planning. To quote from its own document, community planning is "most importantly, about ensuring that local people are able to influence the decisions of the organisations that provide their services".
David Anderson, East Dunbartonshire Council's Corporate Director - Community, may feel that the sports field provision in the PPP project for Bearsden Academy is adequate, however residents and parents in Bishopbriggs are not so relaxed.
The new Academy in Bishopbriggs was moved from the 'constrained' site near the town centre, to the outskirts in Woodhill. Here we were told there was much more space. Space that would allow greater provision of sports fields.
Now that detailed plans for the school have become available it is clear that this extra space is being sold off for housing and the extra playing fields will be laid on land currently used by the two nearest primary schools. While any improvement in the facilities of either primary school is to be welcomed, it is clear that parents and residents were misled when we were told that the Woodhill site for the Academy would bring with it significant educational benefits such as greater sports field provision.
Perhaps when councillors meet next week to either approve or reject the planning application for the school, they will ask why land on the site is being sold off while pupils are being asked to cross a fast main road to use an undersized primary school playing field.
East Dunbartonshire Council policy on dealing with traffic impacts of new development is
provided in their memo of 18 January 2005 provided in Appendix B.
During the time of writing, utilities works in Bishopbriggs Town Centre on Kirkintilloch Road
have been underway and this will have a significant impact on the traffic patterns within
Bishopbriggs as a whole. Therefore, it has not been possible to obtain any meaningful survey
data in the vicinity of the Thomas Muir site and no historic data was available either.
“The implication of the above is that traffic capacity issues should not be used as a reason for refusing a planning application which the Planning Service is minded to grant….”
7.6.3.5 Rail Measures
Milngavie rail station is 1.6km walk from the school is above the maximum walking threshold
figure of 800m specified by the Scottish executive.
I've read the 50 odd page travel plan on the council site re the survey that was completed in October - all the bus routes mentioned come in and out of this terminus.
Also the Council reckon only 74 children will be disadvantaged by the move to TM. The bus routes they quote almost all come in and out of GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL areas- not East Dunbartonshire.
They dismiss Meadowburn and Balmuidy in one sentence and Kenmure in two, in a whole report of 50 pages! Guess it's just tough if you live in Meadowburn.
It looks like the school is going to be used in future by people from Glasgow area. so much for EDC council taxpayers!
"I wonder if the plan will be carried out after the pupils have ALL moved to the High School site and the Thomas Muir site is unoccupied?"
© Google Earth
© Google EarthLots of prime land at the High School site - just no good for a school - if you believe the Lib Dems
Both bidders have tabled an alternative solution... this may involve changes to the site, timing, decant arrangements or design of the new school.
We are unable to show you the plans for the variant... considered commercially confidential whilst the bidders are competing.
We are unable to show you the plans for the variant at this stage as they have not been developed beyond a sketch site layout to prove the site has adequate land to support a new school.
Click for larger image
Consultative Document 2006
3.0 REASON FOR THE PROPOSAL
3.1 The consortia....
...They consider that this in turn will offer the Council improved educational facilities in the new school, particularly playing fields.
I would therefore move that the interim Board continue to negotiate on behalf of the parent body of Bishopbriggs Academy whilst the election process for a new School Board For Bishopbriggs Academy is put into operation and I would call for the Authority to call said election with immediate effect.
The letter detailing the 'disadvantages' of holding an election for the School Board makes interesting reading....if you support lawbreaking and dictatorship that is.
One disadvantage is that for the Academy Board to continue would mean that they are breaking the law.
I’m not sure that they are setting a very good example to pupils?
Costly? The PPP team have been posting out regular newsletters, four pages and in colour. The council has found the money for this so why not for giving parents a lawful and democratic say in the running of their school. After all they pay for the school through their taxes.
If not them – who? Sandy McGarvey? John Morrison? Margaret McNaughton?
Could take up to 12 weeks to complete? This is only a problem because the Board are doing this now rather than 12 weeks ago.
Places an administrative burden on the school? Well sorry I don't think that ‘it’s too much hassle to hold an election’ is a good reason not to hold an election. Updating the electoral register...shouldn't that be a pre-requisite for the school to know who the pupils’ parents are?
Postage costs? Well the interim Board saved a lot of money by not canvassing parents’ opinions in the lead up to the decision where the school should be built, so the school really owes them one. And was the school not being given extra resources because of the amalgamation...I seem to remember Sandy McGarvey saying that, wish I had got that in writing I suppose.
Finally and I quote...'Research shows parental involvement is not encouraged by elections’. This is being said by the people who presumably put themselves forward for election to get on the High School and Thomas Muir Boards. With low turnouts at election time not even Tony Blair would give that as a reason for stopping holding elections….maybe Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe should be looking to the Academy Board for some fresh ideas!
(You might have noticed that there is nowhere on the ballot paper for the voter to put their name to ensure that only parents with children at the school vote and that those who vote do so only once. This brings to mind the old saying about elections in Northern Ireland, ‘vote early and vote often’. Not that I’d condone parents photocopying the ballot papers and handing in lots of votes for their chosen option during the Christmas holidays.)
And what about the ‘Advantages’ of just keeping things the same until next year? It would minimise disruption to the education and welfare of pupils. How can this possibly be true? The election process does not involve pupils. Communication is via the post and how can an election affect pupils Health and Happiness? No the real advantage of this option is that it allows for continuity. But how much of an advantage this is, is open to question.
The current Board have never communicated with parents at any point in the amalgamation process.
They have never sought the views of parents regarding their preference for where the school should be built and now that the PPP team is turning them over they suddenly come running to the parents looking for help.
They deserve to be booted out. At Tuesday’s meeting, assuming enough people turn up, given the short notice and the enticement of hearing about ‘minor’ problems with the school design, parents need to stand up and be counted. We have the prospect of a great new school (albeit one where children will be in danger of being run over leaving school at 3.30 pm)…now we need a Board that can match the aspirations of the school…something the current Board are clearly unable to do.
I have taken the liberty of letting you know what happened at the Bishopbriggs Academy Board meeting on Tuesday night re the PPP planning application.
Basically we said to Sandy McGarvey:There was no transport statement - how could we assess traffic impacts etc. without it?
The sports full-size pitch provision for
Douglas (roll of 1,021) is 4
Bearsden (1,174) is 3
Kirkintilloch (652) is 3
Bishopbriggs (1,146) is 2
- absolutely not was our core message over this;
It also turns out one of the documents supporting pitch provision is for the first proposal of basing the school at BBHS site and selling off TMHS site completely - not even planning had picked this up;
Education (through John Simmons) insist that the PE curriculum can be delivered - our SMT say that delivery will be extremely tight and almost impossible if we lost the use of the shared area with Woodhill Primary
We want them to investigate the land opposite us to see if we can purchase/lease a strip to put a new pitch on it
We also want to move the all weather pitch up to allow us to slightly lengthen the existing natural turf pitch and to move the athletics facilities onto the grass nearer Torr Road - at the moment the long-jump is on asphalt - surely this cannot be safe (in Douglas and Bearsden the long jump is surrounded by grass)
Overall car parking spaces etc. Bishopbriggs Academy is being short-changed e.g. the Games Hall is 594m2 (33m x 18m) whereas in Douglas it is 628m2 (34 x 18.5m) - I am not too fussed about a metre either side but when the Bishopbriggs High School Games Hall was built it was either (1.4m or 4m) short with the result non of the indoor pitches met the required standards for competition so EDC spent £1 million on a hall that could not take national competitions in football, badminton etc. What a waste and I don't want that repeated again
Many of the facilities are close to the minimum standard required and the SportScotland representative stated that they would challenge councils to provide better facilities - we did however accept that the quality of the facilities were better
Sandy has been tasked with maximising the facilities but also to maximise land receipts re Council meeting of June 2006 (well if two pitches can deliver the PE curriculum then he simply is failing in his second objective with regard to Douglas, Bearsden and Kirkintilloch - he should reduce them to two large pitches and increase the land receipts on these sites but he has not done that) - we as a Board don't want that to happen to any of these sites - we should maximise the facilities on all sites and we realise that both Douglas and Bearsden have already had a net loss of one pitch due to housing development however I don't think Sandy sees us as only having two pitches as a problem and
Fnally to fundamentally disagree that any of the land at the TMHS site was surplus (we are losing a 37m x 18m small rugby pitch (7-a-side pitch) and two Multi Use Games Areas although the shared arrangement would give us back the small pitch on a shared basis).
The meeting went on from 6.30 pm for Board members only and from 7 pm for invited participant and did not close until 10.30 pm
It was at times heated but we hope we presented a balanced but forceful case.
The next steps are to:
Prepare a response to Sandy McGarvey
Meet with associated primary school board chairs (or their whole boards and PTAs if they want)
Meet with Bishopbriggs parents on the 12th December at 7 pm in Bishopbriggs Academy
Start drafting our representation to the planning department with respect to
a) the school and
b) the surplus land outline application for housing
To prepare a media campaign to keep this in the public eye over the festive season right up to the planning application hearing and to meet with councillors over this to give them our views directly.
I am supplying this information to keep primary school board chairs appraised of what is happening and to the PPP reps of Douglas, Bearsden and Kirkintilloch secondaries as we had compared Bishopbriggs Academy to these school in our presentation.
We already appreciate the help we have had from other secondary PPP reps.
We fully support all of these schools in their efforts to get better facilities for their kids in their areas - we just want to be treated equitably by EDC in terms of sports provision.
I am grateful to Susan Murray for her attendance and input - at times what she said was very telling and was not lost on Sandy McGarvey.
I would also say that we would welcome your support if possible and we will be happy to answer any queries or questions by e-mail or phone.
Thanks.
Ken Low Acting Chair Bishopbriggs Academy School Board
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However, several parents and staff felt that they had received too little information about the amalgamation of
the two schools and proposals for the new building.
The site that was not suitable for a school?St Ninian's was NOT included in the original council schools PPP plan.
The developers WANTED to build the new St Ninian's on an alternative site.
East Dunbartonshire council REJECTED this proposal and voted to keep it on its original site.
To accomplish this the council HAD to move the pupils to Thomas Muir - the original plan was to move the Academy pupils here while the Academy was built on the High School site.
Thanks to determined efforts from the school board and staff, it was included in the revised plans.
In addition to its equity investment of around £3.5 million, AMEC will benefit from contracts to design and construct the schools, redevelop surplus land on five sites and provide estate management services over the concession period, with a total value over £125 million. Financial close is targeted for December 2006, with construction beginning immediately thereafter and full completion scheduled for mid-2009.
He also cited PPPs as a means of generating "substantial value in the future".
"We are actively seeking sites in Scotland"
Section 1 - (5) A School Board shall cease to exist when the school for which they are established is discontinued.
Section 2 - (9) In relation to schools (including combined schools) which come into existence after the commencement of section 1 of this Act, the first elections under this Act shall (subject to section 20) be held as soon as is practicable after pupils first attend the school.
Section 7 - (4) An Interim Board shall cease to exist when a School Board have been established for the combined school.
...ascertain the views of parents on matters which are the responsibility of the Board.
They're building a school to accomodate more pupils than the exisiting Thomas Muir school on that site.
The school they are building is actually TWO schools combined. it will accommodate 1,200 pupils plus staff In school roll terms this will make it the largest school ever in Bishopbriggs
The developers are going to build it on a smaller plot of land than the existing school occupies!
Go down to the Triangle Council offices (first floor), at the cross, between 9am and 5pm for the next week or so and ask the planning dept to show you document EDC-2.3-P40 and at the bottom of page three you'll see their plan.
Also have a look at document AED-2.3-P00 which appears to suggest that a proper Transport Assesment for the new school will not be carried out before the planning board look into this....and No Travel Plan has been drawn up.
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