Pros and cons of Ladywell plan
with this title the South London newspaper the Mercury published two interesting letters one near to the other.
One was from our Mayor Bullock. The other from a well informed Lewisham resident.
They are not available for online consultation so I report them here as they were published.
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Mr Calo takes issue with your paper's reporting of his comments (Mercury Letters, October 6 "Don't take away our swim pool").
Perhaps he should heed his own advice and make sure that what he says
is accurate too. Mr Calo states that the New School Campaign "forced
the Mayor to recognise the need for a new school in the first place".
Mr Calo is wrong. I stood for election in 2002 on the pledge to 'raise
standards il all our schools and tackle the issue of secondary school
places".
Once in office I concluded that a secondary school was necessary -
something that I remain convinced of and committed to delivering.
Mr Calo makes reference to alternative sites been "overlooked". No
possible site has been overlooked previously but so far none have been
identified that will allow a school of the right size in the right
place to open quickly.
I have been pleased by the responses to my challenge from both the New
School Campaign and local political parties - every suggestion is being
carefully looked at.
I would really like to open a new school without there being a three
year closure of the Ladywell Leisure Centre in 2007 and the opening of
the replacement in central Lewisham in 2010.
However, if a choice has to be made I believe education must be the priority.
Steve Bullock
Mayor of Lewisham
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In view of Lewisham Mayor Steve Bullock's astonishing ultimatum
regarding the site for the new secondary school (the Mercury, September
29, "Protesters told sink or swim"), is it worth reminding people of
the visionary nature of Lewisham councillors in regard to this farce?
1. A school is failing in north Lewisham
2. Failing school is revamped and restarte
3. Restarted school fails again
4. Council closes failing school
5. Council decides to demolish school
6. Council recognises need for secondary school!
7. Coucil earmarks three possible sites in Ladywell area for new
school. (But they've got a north Lewisham school site, haven't they?
No, it's being developed as a sixth form centre.)
8. Council decides on Playtower site
9. Council produces "outline" scheme for this site
10. Council says scheme is no go as the police have put properties on the site up for sale
11. Council decides on second choice (Or was it the Council's first choice?)
12. The second choice site, annoyingly, contains Ladywell Leisure
Centre, just re-opened after two years' refurbishment costing
£1.8million
13. Council decides to demolish leisure centre in three years time.
(It's all right though - it might be replaced in 2010 by a new facility
in the new "gateway" development.)
The common sense solution, of course was to build the new school on the
north Lewisham site and build the sixth form centre on the old
Prendergast site in Rushey Green.
They would have both been ready for use in September 2004, leaving the leisure centre intact.
Ken Starkey
Algernon road
Lewisham
