Concerns have been raised about plans for a £30 million flagship “school on the hill” in Telford which will spearhead a £200 million revamp of every secondary school in the area.Fears were focused on the suggested site for the new Abraham Darby Academy, on the current school playing fields close to Lees Farm roundabout in Madeley.
Some of the 40 or so residents who attended a meeting about the scheme yesterday were worried about the impact on nearby homes, including noise and loss of green space. Some suggested re-using the current site or building lower down the embankment.
Under the blueprint, a new “learning community” will be created, bringing the Abraham Darby School - now officially called Abraham Darby Academy - and nearby Woodlands Primary School together on one site, along with a swimming pool, fitness suite, community and sports halls, which would be open to the community from 8am to 10pm.
It would have 900 places for pupils aged 11 to 16, and, potentially, 200 post-16 places, and could be open in 2011. The existing school, including its 1930s core, would be bulldozed and the land turned into playing fields.
Brian Scrivener, of Langholm Green said: “It’s turning a field into a school, and a school into a field.”
And Roger Pearce, whose Ironbridge Road home would be on the doorstep, said: “We would get no peace whatsoever if it goes on that site.”
Opening the meeting, Clive Jones, head of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) resources and social regeneration with Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “It’s important to get it right. There are no firm decisions about anything yet.
“It will be an opportunity for us to take your thoughts and questions away and reflect before we come forward with an outline planning application.”
Guy Kershaw, BSF project director, said: “The disadvantage of working on the existing school site is the huge disruption it would cause the children.”
Council officials say they will be taking on board public views, before moving towards an outline planning application.
By Toby Neal
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