Delight as new school approved after years of campaigning
A❝ We are delighted the long overdue Oasis Temple Quarter Secondary School has finally been given the go-ahead Campaigner Amy Harrison
CAMPAIGN group led by parents has said it is “delighted” after confirmation of an urgently needed secondary school in east Bristol.
It is part of the £375 million regeneration of Silverthorne Lane in Bristol Temple Quarter, which was given the green light on April 13 by Housing Minister Stuart Andrew.
The scheme will provide a 1,600pupil secondary school and sixth form to address a severe shortage of secondary places in the BS2 and BS5 areas. While developers have been waiting since the planning application was submitted in August 2019 by Feeder Estates LLP – a partnership controlled and managed by Square Bay – some parents have been campaigning for increased secondary school places for almost eight years.
BS5 Secondary Forum, a parent-led group, was established in 2014.
Amy Harrison, one of the parents involved in the campaign, said: “We are delighted that the long overdue Oasis Temple Quarter Secondary School has finally been given the goahead – the campaign for the school began back in 2014 and has been a relentless and complex journey for a committed group of local families.
“We are, however, deeply frustrated that the process has taken so long – the additional school places were needed back in 2018 and the pressure on existing local schools has intensified year on year.
“Bristol City Council granted planning permission for the scheme back in 2020, so the protracted planning inquiry has further impacted the educational outcomes of local children. We hope that work on the site can begin swiftly and that soon young people from Lawrence Hill and the surrounding neighbourhood can benefit from a potentially life-changing new educational facility on their doorstep.”
Ms Harrison added that the group looked forward to continuing its relationships with Oasis Academy Trust, Bristol City Council and the Department for Education to “ensure the new school is responding to the needs of the local community”.
Oasis Academy Trust has said the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone will serve the community as a co-educational secondary academy for students aged 11 to 18. Admissions will be based on proximity to the academy, the trust has said.
John Murphy, chief executive officer at Oasis Community Learning, said: “We are delighted that planning consent has been granted for the Silverthorne Lane development – which will be home to Oasis Academy Temple Quarter.
“This is a fantastic milestone, and we are proud to be the chosen education provider for the new school. Oasis is dedicated to ensuring that in every community we serve, we offer an outstanding education for local young people. We are thrilled to be celebrating with the local community and all involved stakeholders.”
The regeneration scheme will provide 367 new homes – 20 per cent of which will be affordable – and commercial space, a new research and learning building delivered by the University of Bristol as part of its emerging Temple Quarter Campus, along with 693 student beds.
A recommendation for approval was followed by a unanimous vote by Bristol City Council’s planning committee in August 2020, but Environment Agency objections citing flood risk matters in the wider Temple Quarter triggered a call-in from then Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick.
In her report on the public inquiry, planning inspector, Zoe Hill, said: “The applicant has demonstrated throughout the course of the inquiry why its approach to flood risk has been cautious, thorough and proper”.