New school: simply the wrong location

Mark Brooks of Diggle Community Association at the chosen site for the new school

COMMUNITY groups are urging Oldham Council chiefs to think again over the proposal to build a new £17million school in Diggle.

Mark Brooks, who was appointed chair of Diggle Community Association 24 hours before last week’s announcement, has two children at Saddleworth School.

He said: “We’re saddened and angered by the proposal. Oldham Council has been intent on developing the Diggle site despite the depth of feeling throughout Saddleworth. This is simply the wrong location for a 1,500-pupil school. The site is fraught with danger and technical issues. The children of Saddleworth and its residents deserve better.”

The Save Diggle Action Group (SDAG) met last week with the Education Funding Agency (EFA) before the announcement of its preferred option for the new school. The group says that while the EFA’s study has a preferred option, any of the options within budget could produce the necessary educational needs and could be chosen by the council

The group is urging councillors and Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams to lobby Oldham Council to choose the current Uppermill site instead.

“The final decision on the location of a new school is with the local authority, from the pool of feasible site options presented. EFA does not impose a site option. All four site options are within its budget and it would be willing to build the new Saddleworth School on any of them. The final decision was Oldham Council’s.

“A separate highways planning application will have to be submitted by Oldham Council to address any access issues in Diggle, on which local residents must be consulted during the usual planning process.

If it is rejected then EFA will reconsider the option of building the new school in Uppermill.”