Alderley Edge School for Girls (AESG) have announced that they are no longer progressing with plans to build a new multi-sports facility on land off Wilmslow Road.
Cheshire East Council agreed to lease AESG the 8.6 acre site, opposite Ryleys playing fields, so it could be transformed into a sports facility for football, hockey, tennis, netball and other sports. In addition to providing extra sports facilities for Alderley Edge School for Girls, the intention was for them to be available for Alderley United Junior Football Club, Alderley Edge Hockey Club and local schools to use.
However, after spending over a year in negotiations with Cheshire East Council to lease the land, the Governors of AESG have informed the Council that they are withdrawing from the negotiations with immediate effect This is in part due to the conditions of the contract but also the time it would take to get the project underway.
Instead they will be focussing on improving the sports facilities on their own land.
Headmistress Helen Jeys, who joined AESG in September 2016, explained "We were, unfortunately, unable to negotiate terms with Cheshire East which would have granted us ownership of the facilities. We have to be extremely careful about the appropriate use of charitable funds and because we would not have owned the land, we felt that we had to withdraw from further negotiations.
"With further investment in our own facilities, we can ensure that our girls are able to access excellent sporting facilities quickly. We have such talented sporting girls and I want us to be able to help them flourish as well as getting lots of girls more involved and interested in a range of physical activities and sports. At the current time, we feel that we can realise both aims with more investment in our own facilities."
Plans to improve their current sporting facilities at the school include a complete refurbishment of the school gym, with the inclusion of a new climbing wall and dance facilities, and the development of a fitness suite.
The school's tennis courts will be completely renovated and they will be levelling the ground at the front of the junior school to build a netball facility.
Further works will focus on improving the field at the back of the school and they hope to use the land they own off Lydiat Lane, which the previous Parish Council had intended to relocate the Heyes Lane allotments to so they could create a car park on the Heyes Lane site, for rounders and athletics in the short term.
Mrs Jeys added "The advantage of the plans are that we can have some, if not all of them, in place for September 2017. We have full control over these plans, as they are on our own land, and the girls will be able to feel the impact of the School's investment within months rather than years."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Thus the idea of turning the whole of the Heyes Lane allotments site into a massive car park with an offered re-location of ALL allotment holders seems to be 'no more'.
If the Heyes Lane site does get used as a massive car park, that would now mean no re-location for the users?
Does it also affect any proposed movement of the smaller number of Heyes Lane allotment users, who would have to leave Heyes lane, if the P.C's proposed use of a part of the Heyes Lane site, as a 'mini car park' goes ahead? Or are there enough vacant allotments to 'absorb' those displaced?
Is there fault/responsibility to be allocated here? or is it just 'one of those things' ?
Why not put a car park there! I bet there isn't much in the distance and it will help Brook lane once it gets its roundabout, as once that goes ahead those coaches for AESG will have to pick up/drop off elsewhere!
Now that the school have publicised their decision, I can perhaps add a few comments of my own and answer some of the questions that have been raised. The negotiations had been going on for some time and although I was only involved in the latter stages (since 2015), I attempted to support the school in its meetings with Cheshire East.
Rather than seeking to apportion blame, I think this was simply a case of two perfectly understandable, but at the same time, irreconcilable positions. The school, from their point of view, were prepared to make a significant investment in the site, but in return wanted either freehold ownership, or a longer term lease than CEC were willing to offer. From their point of view, in return for allowing green belt land to be converted, CEC needed to be able to demonstrate that there would be ongoing and regular community use of the site and I don't think this ever really fitted the school's objectives.
Whenever public open space (e.g. allotment land) is to be taken away, this has to be compensated for through the provision of alternative open space of at least an equivalent size to that which has been lost. As a Parish Council, we have always said that we would consider all available options, including, in the interests of fairness and balance, a partial relocation of Heyes Lane allotments. Whilst we have never supported a wholesale relocation, it is clear that the land at Lydiat Lane is no longer available as a compensation site. In any case, right of vehicle access to that site had not been established and could have been subject to legal challenge by residents.
We are already working on several alternative plans. These involve ongoing negotiations with Cheshire East over other potential sites, either for car parking or alternative allotment provision, the possible extension of the Ryleys Lane Car Park and of course, incremental gains in on-street parking. There are potentially other (smaller) sites around the village that could be made available to the Parish Council and I have a meeting with Officers later this week to discuss these. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to share the details at the moment, but hope to give an update over the next few weeks.
Kind regards,
Craig
C.E. sell land to the school ( or a 999 year lease) and in return are 'given' land at Lydiat Lane.
The school gets the land it wants and C.E. gives up a piece of land it can't do much with in exchange for another piece of land it can't do much with.
I appreciate Craig's supporting the school and I believe that he won't wish to be caught up in a possible row as to who may have been most at 'fault'.
However this does seem to have been a missed opportunity.
Not to mention that it seems to have 'cocked-up' the possible plans re. a car park.
Yet another shop (hairdresser) is leaving the village, citing a lack of customer parking as a reason for going.
As for possible legal problems re. right of access to the Lydiat Lane site; given the time taken, have not C.E's lawyers had time to come up with a definite view?
The prevailing conclusion seems to be that both sides looked for reasons for the 'deal' to fail rather than straining every sinew to make a 'deal' possible ?
It is residual land, following construction of the bypass.
Kind regards,
Craig
you must stop this constant referring backward !
Time to move forward by getting a car park, wherever it is placed, as soon as possible.
Or do you not want a car park?
Are you one who doesn't want a sports area at the school ?
Or a new and larger allotments area at Lydiat Lane ?
So are you firmly in support of Cheshire East ?
Maybe it could be time to produce your view of what is entailed in 'moving on' ? Please share it with the rest of us ?
It goes from bad to worse. I am continually shocked by the actions of people trying to avoid walking a few yards!
The "improvised" parking by cars and coaches is going to result in serious injury or even deaths if it isn't dealt with.
1. some few years ago, the school applied to Cheshire East to be allowed to open the gates on London Rd, for drive in and then drive out by the side road; that would perhaps help solve your worry?
Alas Cheshire East said 'No'. Could always ask again ?
2. It was, I am told, hoped that a part of granting the School what it wanted for the sports thing could include a drop off-pick up space. That would have helped?
If Pete Taylor (above) is right, there may still be 'life' in the possibility.
Anyone got a good idea?
I'm from Barcelona, on this one !
You might well be Manuel but the question is......who was Fawlty?
1. was or is ?
2. any idea what the strange shaped concrete thing, at the entrance to the park on R's Lane
is ?
3. anyone tried out the table tennis yet ? where are the bats 'n balls kept ?
I think you might be referring to the concrete base for the bicycle stand. The Youth Councillors told us that they wanted to be able to cycle to and from the park and to be able to leave their cycles somewhere safe.
We have ordered some bats and balls for the official opening of the new play area on Saturday afternoon, although some young people might also bring their own. We are also looking at installing a safe for them to be kept in.
Kind regards,
Craig
thanks for the info.
so my swerve is noted?
What swerve ?
Am I now listed in a notebook ?
You old unreconstructed Stalinist you !