Ashmount Primary School
Ashmount Road, London, N19 3BH Tel: 020 7272 7145 email: office@ashmount.islington.sch.uk
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Report from David Barry, Chair of Ashmount Governing Body, on the planning committee meeting of 13 October 2009:
'When the planning application for the Crouch Hill Site was heard by Islington's planning committee on 8 September 2009, the decision was deferred. Councillors said they needed more information.
After that meeting, they came to see the school, and were given a tour by the Headteacher. She pointed out all the problems with the building, and was able to show them on site exactly why refurbishment would merely maintain the current unsatisfactory position at great cost. The councillors also saw the proposed new site, and how run-down it is.
The plans were considered again at the committee's next meeting on Tuesday 13 October and they were passed by three votes to one. Because the Crouch Hill Site is so special, the plans also have to be approved by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and by the Secretary of State, John Denham MP. We expect to know what they think by the end of November 2009.
We are very grateful for all the support you have shown. It was excellent that so many of you got to the meeting: we know many others would have attended had they not had childcare issues. In fact, a number of Ashmount parents spoke at the meeting and this mattered a great deal. Also, given that a central claim made by the objectors is that the plan lacks support, it was important that so many of you wrote. There were 39 letters against, and 205 letters for the scheme! We also had Bowlers Nursery and Cape declaring their full support for the scheme and saying how much they looked forward to being able to work with the school.
The successful outcome of the hearing on 13 October was the result of many people's efforts. We can now go forward together.'
Click here to download (from Islington's website) the full planners' report that was presented to the committee - and here to read a transcript of a speech made at the meeting by parent governor Dean James-Robbins, Chair of Ashmount's Finance and Personnel Committee.
STOP PRESS NEWS: Both the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State have now approved the plans. All necessary planning permissions are now in place for the project to proceed.
Report from David Barry on 11 November 2009:
'This is the third and final hurdle for this project in planning terms. Not only has Islington Planning given permission, but their decision to do so has now been independently scrutinised by two separate teams of planners and lawyers working for the Mayor of London and for the Secretary of State. The outcome of all this has been to confirm that the Crouch Hill Project has been carefully devised so as to make best use, for the whole community, of the crucially important Crouch Hill Site. At its next meeting Ashmount Governing Body will no doubt wish to thank council officers for all their hard work in getting things to this point, and at the same time urge that implementation of this decision now follow without delay.'
Watch this space for more news as soon as we have it!
