A HUGE success – that is how Rokeby residents opposed to a proposed new school reacted to news they will be properly consulted.
The Knowledge Schools Trust, which proposes to build Rugby Free Secondary School (RFSS) on Rokeby Sports Ground, has opened a public consultation on the plans for residents in the area.
Last autumn, the Trust launched an initial consultation to build the school in the CV21 or CV23 postcode areas.
But there was an outcry when a further consultation for the CV22 area was not carried out when Rokeby Sports Ground was identified as the preferred site.
A spokesperson for protest group Sustainable Hillside and Rokeby Education (SHARE) said: “The consultation re-opening is a huge success for us, and shows that campaigning for fairness can work.
“We need to act now to make our voices heard because the consultation closes in just two weeks.”
On Monday (July 4) Warwickshire County Council (WCC) agreed to transfer to the Education Funding Agency parts of the playing field where RFSS and a new Free Special School will be built – if given planning permission.
At the WCC meeting, SHARE chair Sally Chant said: “The school’s trustees say the Department for Education has been consulting with local people. Frankly that statement is untrue. The Education Funding Authority has had no contact with local residents.
“The Rokeby site is unsuitable as the permanent location of a secondary school because the site lies outside the urban boundary and is already recognised as a sports field. The site cannot sustain the 1,175 extra car journeys it would generate.”
Plans for the two new schools are expected to be submitted in the autumn.
RFSS will open at Rokeby Primary School’s old site in Anderson Avenue this September, with plans to move to the new site in 2018. The old Rokeby site will then be demolished to make way for the primary school’s new playing fields.
The Special School is due to open in 2017 on the playing fields.
The new public consultation ends at 1pm on Wednesday (July 13). Email [email protected] or visit www.rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk to comment.
