The expansion of a primary school in Hove is a step closer after councillors gave their backing at a meeting on Monday (22 September).
They agreed that parents and neighbours should be given a formal chance to comment about the plan to expand St Andrew’s CE Primary School in Belfast Street.
So a statutory notice will be published inviting comments while work continues on building plans for the site so that it can take an extra 30 pupils a year from next September.
A number of parents initially opposed the expansion and two parents raised questions about it at a meeting at Hove Town Hall on Monday.
Stephen Jacques and Jon Stanley both put questions to the Brighton and Hove City Council Children and Young People Committee.
Mr Stanley said that 331 parents – or more than 86 per cent – had voted against the proposed expansion but had been overruled by the governors.
The council, in a report to the committee, said that most of the objections had been resolved and work was under way to deal with the remaining objections.
The council said: “In particular, new classrooms would now be provided on the northern end of the Haddington Street car park, which is adjacent to the school, rather than on the school site itself.”
Councillor Sue Shanks, who chairs the Children and Young People Committee, said: “I’m really pleased that the school’s governors have responded so positively to our revised proposals.
“There is still a need for more primary age school places in south and central Hove.
“I believe the revised plans strike a good balance between the need for school places and the need for public parking.”
The committee will make a final decision in November.
Alas, the school’s building was dependent upon what Tesco was willing to pay a decade ago.
As part of that, the School lost its field above the cemetery (when the Tesco car park was built, bodies rose to the surface). The replacement, west-east field, is on poorer soil than the one that was above the cemetery.
This area’s potential was far greater. English Heritage was ignored (it posited a supermarket design akin to that in Ludlow), and the great opportunity for housing was missed. Labour and the Tories voted together on this.
Is it still the case that Priority is given to those Families that attend St Andrews Church or has that changed since Rev Swindles has left?
This proposal will only create 15 extra places for non-churchgoers and should be opposed at all costs.
The council need to build a new school that will provide places for the whole community – not just over-expand existing ones. The King Alfred site would be ideal.
Along with St. Nicholas in Brighton, St. Andrews Church originated in medieval times….somewhat altered over the centuries. Its graveyard walls are still in evidence along the backs of George St businesses built onto it.
Haddington Road and the last of its line of houses mark the original graveyard boundary. A vestige of this wall remains on the corner of that house – which was itself built onto the wall which extends to this day along its depth.
Vestiges of the flint wall survive all down Haddington Close, a roadway created when the graveyard was cleared above its current boundary to allow for the building of St. Andrews School, mark 1.
Tesco came along to replace the gas works attached to and behind St. Andrews Grade 2* Listed wall.
In creating Tesco’s car park, a few stray bodies WERE still in the ground under what had been the school playing field. In moving the school northwards, a street was removed, the Co-op car park was removed and a much smaller area allowed for public car parking.
One is reminded that a car park got built over the bones of King Richard III – it happens. And it is perhaps also true that Spa Court’s car park tarmac was laid over the bones of a young member of the Verner family behind Victoria Terrace and Medina Terrace on the seafront. Many believe that the now casually removed and relocated giant marble gravestone embedded in the wall there marked the position of his mortal remains within what would have been the Verner family garden behind 1-2 Victoria Terrace.
It is a sad thing to have dug up the huge cemetery area behind St. Andrews Church which must have contained many centuries worth of former residents. I have yet to see any photos of that graveyard before it was dispensed with to build St. Andrews School.
Not even the James Gray collection seems to have any that I noticed.
I can see no reason for not expanding St. Andrews School in that area. Plenty of space to do so along Malvern Street, which could also help to improve its appearance. Someting rather neglected back in 2003ish when the Church/Tesco deal was being given planning consents.
Building on Malvern Street would be a better idea than the current plan, although I’m sure the Co-op would complain as they use it for their delivery lorries.
Although St Andrews is seen as lucky in the Brighton & Hove area for having a school field at all, it needs to be remembered that it is well below the size recommended by the Department for Education for a two form entry primary school. Expanding to three form entry would make the situation worse.
Therefore the council need to make sure that any expansion plans are thought through properly to ensure that as much outdoor space as possible is available for the pupils. Expanding into Malvern Street and using the Haddington Street Car Park for additional playground space would be one way of achieving this aim.
Following on from my last comment, I’m mindful that the kids at the neighboring Connaught school have virtually no play area at all.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Tesco weren’t so skint and could afford to move their car park underground and have a huge play are for both schools on top.
As a former resident of Seafield road and pupil of St. Andrews 1972 – 1980 I find the expansion plans interesting. The 1858 building was a fantastic place to exploreas a seven year old and the outside toilet block with frozen water in the loos and tracing paper style loo paper was something else.
The move to new school built on the cemetry was exciting in 1977 and the open plan art area was great. The new school was too small even on opening though. The bigger problem was that the cemetry had not had the bodies removed but a large concrete block laid over the graves. this meant that the playing fields would flood and be unuseable.
The actual cemetry was a beautiful place, with overgrown graves and brambles. I did find a couple of images on the web. I played for many hours there with friends. I noticed recently that the entrance gate to the Church has been changed so you can no longer sit in it.