EDUCATION has been criticised for taking no advice from planners over its recommendation to close St Sampson’s Infants School.
The Urban Area Plan sets out criteria that need to be met for education faculties to be lost – but Education has argued it does not need to speak to Environment yet because it is not making recommendations on the site’s future use.
An independent report into planning by Chris Shepley last year highlighted the need for planners to be involved in major decisions at the outset.
At the time he was referring to the decision to build St Sampson’s High at Les Nicolles. St Sampson’s deputy Jane Stephens does not believe the department has enough information to make the recommendation for closure.
‘We now know that in their deliberations about the closure of the school, Education has not consulted the Environment Department,’ said Deputy Stephens.
‘The Urban Area Plan in the final sentence of point SCR2 says that Environment will resist the loss of education facilities, “unless the committee in consultation with the Education Department is satisfied that the facilities are genuinely redundant and surplus to future requirements”. Environment has not been consulted, so presumably they cannot resist. On the face of it, the stance taken by Education seems highly disrespectful of procedure.’
Deputy Education minister Allister Langlois said the site’s use in future was not the main point of the recommendation to close.
‘The main point of the change is rationalisation of the primary sector – we’re not talking about new pupils – and the future use of the site is a totally different issue,’ said Deputy Langlois.
An Environment Department spokesman confirmed that it had not been consulted over the closure of St Sampson’s Infants.
‘The decision to close a school is not of itself a development proposal and hence Education, at present, is under no obligation to consult Environment for its views from a planning perspective,’ he said.
‘As such, Environment holds no view on the matter at present. As and when consideration is given to the future use of the site and/or the future development of other schools, the department would expect to be consulted in the normal way.’
Article posted on 24th October, 2008 - 1.00pm
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