Park Ward Cllrs Back Academy Action Group

Park ward's three Lib Dem Cllrs are backing local residents in their campaign to amend the plans for the Academy that is to be built on the site of the Channel School. Working in co-operation with the Cllrs, the Action Group issued this press release yesterday evening:

Residents seek change to Folkestone Academy plans

Local residents want changes to the siting of the proposed Folkestone Academy - the new school to replace Channel School as the main secondary school for east Folkestone. Local people strongly welcome the Academy being built on the Channel School site. However they feel that building it at the furthest point of the site from east Folkestone and close to residential properties will fracture relationships between the Academy, its neighbours and the local communities it is to serve.

Residents Action Group Chair Edwina Boyt said "We are strongly in favour of having an Academy here. It is urgently needed to improve secondary education for east Folkestone. However the plans will cause real trouble for local residents and for children coming to it from east Folkestone. With changes, the problems could be greatly reduced. We met Roger De Haan at his invitation four times to discuss the Academy, but the plans still do not address our concerns. If he wants the Academy to be at the heart of local communities, he is going the wrong way about it. We will fight very hard to get the plans changed."

Group Secretary, Bev Rolfe, said "The Academy building will be unnecessarily very close to homes, and will have a main entrance on a dangerous blind bend in a residential street. There won't be enough on-site parking, so cars will be parked on surrounding residential roads. Children coming to school from the east will have to walk more than 300 metres on an open, uncovered footpath in all weathers. This is unreasonable and unnecessary. Mr De Haan says the building can't be moved, but we don't accept this."

The residents are supported by their Lib Dem Shepway Councillors. One of them, Cllr Lynne Beaumont said "The Academy will be a tremendous asset for Folkestone and its promoters should be congratulated for their vision. However they ought to listen more carefully to local people. They should think again about locating the Academy building with its back to east Folkestone - the area it is going to serve."

ENDS

Notes for editors

1) The Folkestone Academy is sponsored under the government Academy programme by the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust and Kings School Canterbury to replace the Channel School, Folkestone.

2) A planning application for the Academy was submitted to Kent County Council on 11 October.