Playing fields site for new academy?

Other areas still under consideration

Bulldozers could move on to Chapel Road playing fields at Hollinwood to clear the way for a new academy school.

The land, which includes Oldham Athletic’s training fields and a synthetic community pitch, is being considered as a replacement site for Kaskenmoor and South Chadderton Schools.

It could replace the Oak Colliery site, also in Hollinwood, which was dropped by the Liberal Democrats, who took control of Oldham Council in May.

But the man whose casting vote helped to create the Chapel Road site in 1995, former council leader John Battye, says methane problems on the former landfill site could push up costs.

Talks are being held with Latics, who have a 99-year lease on their training pitches, changing rooms and car park.

But current Council leader Councillor Howard Sykes said Chapel Road is not the only land being considered, and other sites will be revealed next week.

The council is poised to send out consultation leaflets on September 18 about its preferred sites for academy schools under the £230 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project.

BSF will transform secondary education by closing five schools — Breeze Hill, Counthill, Grange, Kaskenmoor and South Chadderton — and building two academies.

Councillor Sykes added: “The situation is complicated but we have to get the right site for the school, and it is not the only place we are looking.

A late report will be produced at the September 1 Cabinet meeting.

Councillor Sykes added: “We are in talks with Oldham Athletic and someone else about another site.

Oldham Athletic’s chief executive Alan Hardy expects more talks this week, and added: “Chapel Road is a really important site to us, an excellent training facility.

“Obviously we would not want to stand in the council’s way of bringing £200 million into the borough, if an alternative site could be found.

“It is too early to say if there will be new facilities and a new site. We have a very, very long lease and we have invested a lot of money down there with two training pitches, a new changing rooms block and car parking.

“The facilities are more important to us than the area, but this has only just come on the horizon.”

John Battye, whose vote sealed the plans to create Chapel Road in 1995, said: “It was a former reservoir which used to top up the Hollinwood Canal, then a landfill site.

“There have been problems with methane and you can see the vents from Chapel Road. I think it would make building costs very expensive.”