A '˜deficit of places' projected for County's schools

A letter from Stephen Chainani, school place planning commissioning partner to Bucks County Council (BCC) Planning Department, outlines how 8,000 homes with outstanding planning permission is projected to put “Significant increased pressure on schools, with a significant deficit of places projected.”

The letter was sent from the county to Aylesbury Vale District Council’s (AVDC) planning department regarding plans for 120 new homes in Stone.

It says: “Secondary schools in the area are currently at capacity and estimated pupil growth from over 8,000 homes with outstanding planning permission is projected to put significant increased pressure on schools - with a significant deficit of places projected.”

This has been a concern of many action groups, such as Sustainable Housing for Aylesbury Vale and the Environment (SHAVE) who have opposed what they deem to be excessive development without the necessary infastructure arrangments such as schools and roads.

A county council spokesman, said: “The demand for school places across the Aylesbury Vale area at both primary and secondary level is predicted to increase over the next ten years.

This is due to a variety of factors such as the number of children currently in primary schools, current rates of housing growth, population growth and migration, historic trends in parental choice and planned admission numbers.

“To manage and meet both current and future demand, the county council is taking a range of measures.

“These include expansion of a number of existing primary schools in Aylesbury town as well as providing new schools on major housing estates, including the Kingsbrook development.

“A new satellite secondary school is being built on the former Quarrendon School site in Aylesbury.

“We are also aiming to provide a new secondary school on the Kingsbrook development to meet the longer-term predicted increase in demand for secondary school places.

“Work is continually ongoing to monitor predicted pupil numbers across the county and our aim is always to provide sufficient school places in line with predictions.”

Niknam Hussain, BCC councillor for Aylesbury South West, said:

“I am both surprised and saddened to see this happening around Aylesbury.

“Both councils will be fully aware of the demand for school places, coupled with the knowledge of what developments are in the pipeline for the Vale.

“They should be ahead of the game and building for the future.

“I know officers are trying their best to get things done in the right way, but these are political decisions and they are having an adverse affect on people in the county.

”I am now getting cases of children getting bussed from miles around to their schools. This is not good for the kids.”

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