I have been campaigning hard against the Sutton Lib Dem-run Council's plans to put a school on the field at Sheen Way, joining forces with Independent Beddington North councillors to oppose it.
There is no doubt that the pupils and staff of the Futures Academy need and deserve a new school, but the Lib Dems' choice of Sheen Way is not the answer. We can do so much better for some of the most vulnerable children in our Borough.
Having previously made representations against these plans, residents have been waiting for months to hear from the Council when a meeting of the Planning Committee may be convened to discuss the application. I registered my objection with the Council and have met with the Council, Department for Education and others to continue to campaign against the plans.
Plans were in discussion for well over a year. In April 2019, I attended a meeting at the Cricket Club to hear more about the plans and join residents in opposing the scheme. In August 2019, residents came together in a public meeting to oppose the planning application, which closed in September.
Months have passed and the Lib Dems have apparently totally failed to make any progress with the application, with no date in sight for a meeting of the Planning Committee, an apparent failure to get access via Purley Way, and no plan to tackle any of the concerns raised by residents around noise, parking, pollution and much more.
After conversations with the Department for Education, it is my understanding that the Lib Dem-run Council has wasted these months trying to somehow make this application acceptable, but it is clear to me that residents do not believe any development of Sheen Way will ever be acceptable.
It is now believed that this application may have been called in by the Planning Inspectorate, and I am making enquiries to find out the next steps for the application so I can continue to work to oppose it.
The Lib Dems could, of course, pull their support for using Sheen Way as a development site, which would help give residents peace of mind - but I do not hold out much hope that they will listen to the concerns of local people as they have failed to do so far.
I will update residents as I hear more.
