We read in the Rutland Times last week a statement by the education councillor Heather Wills who confirmed that the Park School and Oakham Primary School are to be linked up and plots of land on both sides of the town's bypass were being considered for the proposed new school.
Only ten months ago the Rutland Times reported that Coun Terry King, when summing up after the consultation for the 20 Year Vision, stated: "Following consultation and discussion, the revised vision suggests that
development in Oakham should be l
imited to areas within the bypass".
Do these councillors ever talk to one another? It is called the bypass because it bypasses the town. One would have thought that the councillor for education would have known that.
What was the point of having consultation about the 20 Year Vision with the people of Oakham when only eight months later the council is contemplating completely ignoring their views? It is becoming obvious that we have to take statements coming from our council members with a pinch of salt.
I can assure the council that, if they renege on the assurance given by Terry King, Rutland CPRE will fight them at every turn.
If we have to have another public inquiry then so be it. CPRE will inform the inquiry that the 2,500 good people of Oakham and Rutland who came to the Victoria Hall to support the bypass, did so on the understanding that there would be no building on the other side of it, especially schools where children could be at danger from the heavy traffic. Otherwise why call it a bypass in the first place?
Some conspiracy theorists are asking if this could be more about the money which could come from the sale of the existing site of Oakham Primary School than anything else.
It is acknowledged that the current site of Oakham Primary School could be an option for the new school but it is not straightforward. What about the parents of the children who will be attending the new school? What is the most convenient for them? Let's hear your views.
Tom Chalmers
Chairman, Rutland CPRE