Knocking down schools to build houses
28 November 2017, 04:09 PM
#1
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Knocking down schools to build houses
I`ve seen this happen on four different sites where I live. Building of new homes I understand but why do it where the schools were? I don`t think there are fewer kids, I don`t see any new schools being built so where are they going? Is this a nationwide thing?
29 November 2017, 06:31 AM
#2
It's happened to my old comprehensive, but to be fair it's no great loss. 
It was on the edge of a sought after area though opposite a big hospital, but they did build / refirbish another site about a mile away a few years before... as well as use some of the sports fields for housing.
At the end of the day we need more houses and a lot of the old school buildings are dilapidated and uneconomical to renovate, so letting housing companies build there means we don't have the expense of having to knock them down, they also get revenue from said companies to build new schools.
Where my son goes to school they had the school almost doubled in size and facilities up-graded due to a local development of around 300 houses... all paid for and carried out by the building company as part of the scheme.
It was on the edge of a sought after area though opposite a big hospital, but they did build / refirbish another site about a mile away a few years before... as well as use some of the sports fields for housing.
At the end of the day we need more houses and a lot of the old school buildings are dilapidated and uneconomical to renovate, so letting housing companies build there means we don't have the expense of having to knock them down, they also get revenue from said companies to build new schools.
Where my son goes to school they had the school almost doubled in size and facilities up-graded due to a local development of around 300 houses... all paid for and carried out by the building company as part of the scheme.
29 November 2017, 07:44 AM
#3
Such is the thinking of governments, councils and media's wishes..."Housing, we need housing, more houses, we must build houses, housing houses housing." As many as possible as cheaply as possible, and screw the consequences.
So do pretty much nothing on increasing road capacity, new public transport links, new amenities, new infrastructure (water, sewage, power, gas, comms etc), new schools and new workplace developments to support all these new houses.
They just bolted on a huge middle class development by me; On land the government in the 70's and 80's earmarked for a bypass (which is now very much needed; but scrapped by Labour in 1997). Did nothing to expand the already oversubscribed schools and their idea of improving the roads was to put traffic lights on a main dual carriageway roundabout...The result is gridlock every rush hour. There is no train in walking distance and no extra bus services, no cycle routes, no new amenities; parks, shopping areas; just relying on the already heavily congested village.
So do pretty much nothing on increasing road capacity, new public transport links, new amenities, new infrastructure (water, sewage, power, gas, comms etc), new schools and new workplace developments to support all these new houses.
They just bolted on a huge middle class development by me; On land the government in the 70's and 80's earmarked for a bypass (which is now very much needed; but scrapped by Labour in 1997). Did nothing to expand the already oversubscribed schools and their idea of improving the roads was to put traffic lights on a main dual carriageway roundabout...The result is gridlock every rush hour. There is no train in walking distance and no extra bus services, no cycle routes, no new amenities; parks, shopping areas; just relying on the already heavily congested village.
Last edited by ALi-B; 29 November 2017 at 07:53 AM.
29 November 2017, 10:09 AM
#4
I reckon it's to do with demographics.
You build a new estate. Young people move in, and start families. Then you need a school, so you build one.
But twenty to thirty years later, the kids have grown up, newer estates have attracted the young families in a different part of town, and your school is now half empty, and crumbling.
Same thing happens in village schools.
What do you realistically do?
You build a new estate. Young people move in, and start families. Then you need a school, so you build one.
But twenty to thirty years later, the kids have grown up, newer estates have attracted the young families in a different part of town, and your school is now half empty, and crumbling.
Same thing happens in village schools.
What do you realistically do?
29 November 2017, 02:47 PM
#6
Scooby Regular
Interestingly my first primary school has now been converted into a series of apartments: This used to be Classroom 4:
https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/de...89rEeHPWv2K.97
https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/de...89rEeHPWv2K.97