The leader of Trafford Council has written to 9,000 Altrincham homes in an attempt to persuade them that a new purpose-built Stamford Park school is the “best way” for pupils and parents.
The council has is beginning a new six-week period of consultation to establish whether plans for the new three-form entry primary school – accommodating an extra 20 pupils per year group – should be taken forward.
The adjoining Stamford Park Infant and Junior schools, which have been on Cedar Road in Hale since 1905, are home to over 500 pupils aged between three and 11.
But while the Infant school is in favour of the proposal to build a new 3,081 sq m building on existing school playing fields and demolish the existing buildings to make way for a new playing field and car parking, the Junior school is against it, and is instead wishing to convert to academy status.
Cllr Andrew Western, Trafford Council leader, has now penned a letter to 9,000 residents informing them of the latest plans.
Three drop-in sessions have also been organised to allow people to discuss the plans. These are at Altrincham FC Sports Hall on Tuesday 1 October from 2.30-4.30pm, and at Altrincham Library on Wednesday 2 October from 5.30-7.30pm and Wednesday 9 October from 5.30-7.30pm.
Cllr Western said: “I believe a new school – with a brand new purpose-built building – is the best way to serve the children and parents in Altrincham.
“A new building would stop pupils from having to be taught in undersized classrooms, which is sadly the case at the moment. Staff would be able to teach in a modern environment while the children’s learning experience would be massively enriched.
“The plans would also suit the local community. School staff would be able to park on site as opposed to cluttering up the roads by the school, while the new building would be further away from people’s homes so they would benefit from a more open aspect.”
At the end of this new period of consultation, the council will consider the feedback and decide whether or not to proceed with the publication of statutory notices, giving all parties four weeks to submit representation to the proposal. At the end of this stage, the council will determine the outcome.
Consultation on the process will run until Sunday 17 November. Visit this page for up to date information on the proposal.
