Council listens to the people in consultation

Jun 16 2011 by Leona Greenan, Hamilton Advertiser

PLANS to build a unit for pupils with additional support needs at the former Calder House site in Blantyre were given the go-ahead last week.

South Lanarkshire Council’s Executive Committee agreed to the proposals during a meeting on Wednesday, May 11.

The move comes after the local authority revised original plans to build the unit, for secondary-age children with social, emotional and behavioural needs (SEBN), on land adjacent to St Blane’s Primary School.

Last year, the Advertiser reported that the controversial proposals had been met with anger and opposition from parents at the school as well as residents in nearby Fernslea Avenue.

They expressed concerns about the suitability of the project’s location due to nearby homes and the potential negative impact on primary pupils at St Blane’s.

Parents also expressed frustration at not being considered statutory consultees during the planning process.

However, planners scrapped their original vision after listening to the feedback from neighbours – opting for a less contentious site instead.

Larry Forde, executive director of Education Resources, said: “Our recommendation to locate the new school on the former Calder House site on Bardykes Road, Blantyre, was made following extensive consultation with the community.

“Full details of the consultation process were published on the council’s website on Wednesday, May 18, and a letter was sent to everyone who took part in the consultation thanking them for their input and detailing the next step in the decision-making process.”

The proposals are centred on the restructuring of secondary SEBN service in South Lanarkshire.

It involves discontinuing Kittoch School in East Kilbride and Ridgepark in Lanark, and replacing these with a single central secondary education provision.

The council this week stressed that the transition to the new building, on the town’s Bardykes Road, will be carefully planned in consultation with the pupils, parents and staff of both schools to help provide the best possible outcomes for children and their families. They also said they hope the new school will open in 2013.

Now that the proposals have been approved by the Executive Committee, the council will notify Scottish Ministers who have a six-week period to consider the proposals.