Temporary school plan approved by councillors

Plans to build a temporary school in a park have been approved, meaning pupils will be able to carry on learning while their school is knocked down and rebuilt.

Children and staff from Castle Hill Primary School in Todmorden will move to the new site in Centre Vale Park for about 18 months while work is carried out.

Calderdale Council planners agreed unanimously to the proposal from the Department for Education (DfE).

Castle Hill headteacher Duncan Hetherington said the current school, which was built in 1912, had "reached the end of its useful life".

The replacement school will be funded by the DfE through the School Rebuilding Programme.

Supporting the application, Councillor Silvia Dacre said a consultation had raised concerns about highway safety, flooding, impact on the park’s wildlife, loss of the park and fears that it may become permanent.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, planners acknowledged there were concerns about the project but said planning conditions attached to the permission would address these.

Mr Hetherington, said: "You all know the current school has reached the end of its useful life.

“It’s too expensive for us to maintain it and it doesn’t provide the environment that we need to teach children in the 21st Century.

“This temporary school at the park is the bridge we need to make sure that can happen for our children,” he added.

Councillor David Kirton, who serves on the planning committee, said: "A lot of work has been put into this and I think it’s absolutely brilliant."

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