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Devon rejected for schools' rebuild cash

Saturday, 20 February 2021 09:51

By Daniel Clark, local democracy reporter and Radio Exe News

Tipton floods again

Tories and Independents' spat over Tipton St John

Devon has been overlooked in the first round of the government's Schools Rebuilding Programme, which is due to dish out £1 billion on 500 projects.

On the initial list, Devon gets zilch. That will disappoint parents, governors, children and councillors at East Devon's Tipton St John Primary School where the head has previously said he doesn't want a child to be the first to die in flooding. The Environment Agency agrees. In a 2015 report, it says it is concerned about the welfare of children at Tipton St John, where a "risk to life" of the children because of the flood risk. The agency maintains that position.

However, it is understood that Tipton St John is not eligible for cash from the Schools Rebuilding Programme, as it only funds redevelopment on existing sites. The problem at Tipton is that the school needs moving to a new location altogether. That rules out of funding from that particular source. Tipton St John's governors want to relocate next to King’s School, the secondary school at Ottery St Mary.

The preferred option had been to relocate within the village, but after a £3.5 million bid to the government was rejected, a move to Ottery St Mary was considered the only realistic option.

But last month the plans were rejected by councillors due to the housing element in a scheme involving 150 new homes.

The issue led to a spat this week at Devon County Councillor between a local independent councillor and the Conservative member responsible for education.

At a county council meeting, Otter Valley councillor Claire Wright (Independent) called for the cabinet member for education and schools, Cllr James McInnes (Conservative), to express his disappointment that the government hasn't selected any Devon school in its latest rebuild funding programme.

In response, Cllr McInnes said that while he was disappointed, the county has benefitted from previous government programmes in recent years. He said: “This includes 10 new replacement schools and significant investment in two secondary schools under the previous rebuilding programme, as well as a number of free schools including a new special school in Newton Abbot which opened recently

“I, in consultation with Devon County Council officers, will fully engage in that process rather than challenge the current decision making which is based on the collection and prioritisation of data nationally.”

He said the first tranche of funding was not suitable for projects like Tipton St John, and he slammed Cllr Wright for calling for the "locally deliverable solution" to the flood risk to be rejected when East Devon planners met in January.

He said: “I am sorry that you didn’t accept the planning application for Tipton in the community, as that was the only realistic alternative at the moment. The council put forward land to build a school and to support Tipton St John and I am saddened that you didn’t support that, as we are talking about millions of pounds that county council were to put towards the relocation in your division.”

When the application was discussed in January, Cllr Wright said she had never felt so sad about the position she had to take, but called for the committee to refuse the scheme.

She said: “On paper, this breaches all the planning policies it shouldn’t. I hear the anger in the voice of the objectors and the sadness in the headteacher, but I cannot support as contrary to the local plan, neighbourhood plan, and not the right solution for Ottery St Mary.”

Councillors at that meeting had agreed the school needed to be relocated, but voted 11 to two against the plans because of the housing element.

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