PLANS to spend £1m on moving three holes off a golf course so a school can be built on the site were branded "scandalous" by residents.

The proposal sparked the latest row in a long-running battle over where to build a new secondary school in Bromley Common, to house 1,200 pupils. Planning wrangles mean it could now open as late as 2004.

Residents are furious Bromley Council is considering spending £1m taxpayers' cash on moving holes from a golf course when a 21 per cent rise in council tax is predicted for Bromley next year.

There are two possible locations for the Bishop Justus Church of England secondary school one on the former Blue Circle site and one by Magpie Hall Lane - were displayed at a meeting of the development control committee, last Thursday.

The Blue Circle development includes 300 houses and a bus terminus as well as the school while the Magpie Hall Lane proposal will just incorporate a school but entails changes to the golf course and Parkfield recreation ground.

Bromley Common Village residents' association chairman Jane Smith said: "I think £1m to move some holes on a golf course is disgraceful.

"It's scandalous. The money could certainly be better used in other ways.

Residents are also concerned about the lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) the Magpie Hall Lane site.

Council premises and equipment manager David Tidy said: "We really do need this school to meet the needs of the borough's residents.

"It is very expensive to move the holes because you can't just take them off and put them somewhere else, you have to reconfigure parts of the golf course itself."

Council chief planner Stuart MacMillan said: "£1m is a lot of money. But a survey has suggested that is how much it would cost to move the holes of the golf course.

"Funding can be found for school buildings but the council must pay for the fields."

"Both sites have different merits and at this stage they are both going for planning permission.

"European and government regulations state when an EIA is necessary, which we thought it might be for the Blue Circle site because of the amount of housing as well as the school. But the Magpie Hall Lane development is just a school.

"We will be doing similar studies on the Magpie Hall Lane site so comparisons can be made."

Plans for both sites will be placed on public display from today (Wednesday) in Southborough Library and will be appearing soon on www.newsshopper.co.uk

December 5, 2001 9:47

Sarah Warden