SNP finally agree to keep a primary school in Kilbirnie

SNP finally agree to keep a primary school in Kilbirnie

North Ayrshire SNP has been pressured into allowing Moorpark Primary School to remain in Kilbirnie, following extensive public outcry from parents in Kilbirnie and Beith, The original proposal was to include Moorpark and Glengarnock Primary Schools in the new Garnock Academy Campus at North Lochshore.  But the SNP’s decision to go against local wishes and move the Campus to Longbar put the whole scheme in doubt. 

Parents had already made their views clear with a petition of over 2500 signatures opposing the site change for the new Garnock campus. When the SNP refused to listen to their views, the local community again stated their concerns over travel distances and the safety of routes to the SNP’s remote and isolated Longbar site.

The committee heard the results of the consultation with parents which made clear that any benefits of being part of the new Campus were heavily outweighed by the difficulties posed by the remote isolated Longbar site. The parents voted overwhelmingly to keep Moorpark out of the Garnock project if it was to go ahead so far from the town.

John Bell, Labour Councillor for the Garnock Valley, said:

"This is a victory for the Moorpark Primary parents and the community who have successfully forced the administration to concede that the Longbar site is too far from the community. However there are still concerns for the secondary pupils of both Kilbirnie and Beith in travelling to the remote and isolated site. Users of the Garnock pool will also find difficulty in accessing the new facility if it is at Longbar.

"This should have been a major opportunity for the Garnock valley but the project has been diminished by the poor choice of site. No matter how good the new facilities might be, they are inaccessible for the majority of the community.

“The administration believes that positioning the Camous between Kilbirnie and Beith the SNP will allow them to cut school buses from Beith while being positioned so that Kilbirnie pupils will not qualify for free transport either. It’s no more than a scam to cut costs while increasing the difficulty and the danger for our pupils.”

“Even at this late stage I call on the the administration to see sense and revert to the more central Kilbirnie site which was within safe walking distance for Kilbirnie pupils and kept free transport for Beith and Dalry pupils”.

Why are the SNP so set on Longbar for new Academy?

Speaking to local people that is the question they ask, why would anyone think that building a school campus in an isolated area, so far from the people who would use it, is a good idea.

I can't answer,  the decision defies logic, they might save some money on providing buses for Beith pupils but they will pay in terms of latecoming and sickness absence.

Garnock Flood prevention scheme still waiting for SNP Government funding.

At  a recent meeting of North Ayrshire Council I asked the administration why there had been a delay in publishing a Flood Prevention Order planned for December 2012. Previously an outline flood protection scheme had been prepared identifying the level of investment and extent of work required and the Executive instructed Council Officers to submit the document to the Scottish Government as a bid for future funding and that a Flood Prevention Order be published by December 2012.

Councillor Ferguson who now has the responsibility for the Environment in the SNP administration replied, "The business case for the Upper Garnock Valley scheme was submitted to Scottish Government in December 2011. Bids received, at that time, by Scottish Government far exceeded the funding available.” “Clearly the timescale and any potential phasing for undertaking a full scheme will be reliant upon the availability of national funding.”
As a supplementary question I asked the Portfolio Holder for an indication of the timescale for works to commence. Councillor Ferguson indicated that a public consultation exercise will be undertaken in February to March 2013, which will include a road show. A report will be prepared and submitted to the Cabinet with a scheme submitted to the Scottish Government by the summer.

The Floodwarning station at Radio City is now online and you can access it at http://www.floodview.net/UIPage.aspx?AccountId=2

SNP council choose worst site for Garnock Campus

North Ayrshire council voted by 18 votes to 12 to site the replacement for Garnock Academy and a merged Kilbirnie Primary School to a new Campus at Longbar. The plans also include the replacement for Garnock pool be included in the same building. The SNP coalition forced this decision through with only Kilbirnie and Beith independent Councillor Jean Highgate joining the Labour group on opposing this site choice.



The decision provided Moorpark Primary parents an option to opt out and keep their current school site, this is a clear acknowledgement of the unsuitability of the Longbar site for a Garnock Campus. Parents understandably have little faith in the SNP council ever listening to their viewpoint following the change to the Longbar site for the Campus. The choice of the Stoneyholm Road site was acceptable to the vast majority of parents in Kilbirnie and Beith being closer to the community for Kilbirnie pupils to walk and maintaing access to free school transport for Beith secondary pupils. However the council inexplicably chose to go back to the remote Longbar site, totally ignoring the views expressed in the statutory consultation, ignoring the views of their independent consultants and ignoring the 1700 people who signed our petition. Parents understandably have little faith in the SNP council listening to them this time and were reluctant to take part.

Despite these factors the results of the consultation have been announced showing over 80% of those who responded are strongly against the school moving to the remote Longbar site. We are told a paper to be discussed at the councils SNP Cabinet will now suggest a further consultation including altering the catchment area in an attempt to stop the Moorpark School being swamped as parents seek to avoid sending their children to the distant site planned for the new Garnock Campus. How many times must parents be asked the same question, before the council accepts Longbar is no place for a school?

Victory for Democracy as Labour get Garnock Site Selection Delayed

   

The Labour Group on North Ayrshire Council is claiming a victory for local democracy after it forced the SNP Administration to delay the enforcement of a controversial proposal to site the new Garnock Campus at Longbar. The delay will allow time for consultation with Garnock Valley parents.

At the Council meeting of 19th September the decision on a proposal to site
the school Campus at Longbar was deferred until the next council meeting in
November.   Speaking at the Council debate Garnock Valley Labour Councillor John Bell
said;   "The location of a development like this is a major decision which will have a huge impact on Kilbirnie and Beith. The SNP leadership has tried to force this through without allowing parents and the community time to consider the change of site.  It's sharp practice by the SNP to officially tell the community only 6 days before the decision was to be made and giving them no opportunity to present their case to councillors. The decision is wrong and the process is flawed."

"Because of concerns raised by Garnock Valley residents about the unsuitability of the Longbar site at the statutory consultation the new Garnock Campus was planned to go to a site near Stoneyholm Road. For some reason the SNP have changed that and want to put it in exactly the wrong place.   "Given that they had no time to respond, it is remarkable that locals have organised a 500 signature petition which I have delivered to the council Chief Executive." 
 
"Four possible sites had been involved in the original consultation. Locals were strongly in favour of sites on Largs Rd and Stoneyolm Road. If these sites were chosen it would mean most of the schools users, the 970 nursery primary and secondary pupils from Kilbirnie, would be within reasonable
walking distances.   It also means that secondary pupils from Beith and Dalry would continue to
be eligible for free school transport."
A majority of councillors supported a motion to defer the decision in order to allow consultation with parents and to give an opportunity for the petioners to present their case to the Councils Scrutiny and Petitions
committee. 

What do SNP have against Kilbirnie and Beith ?

Since the council elections in May a number of promising proposals for Kilbirnie and Beith have been cut or changed so much they will do real and lasting damage to the area.

An upgrade to the A737 has been announced but will not include the required safety improvements  to the junctions at Barrmill Road and Gateside Road on the Beith Bypass.

The revised Local Development Plan has been published for consultation, with the plan for Large Scale Regeneration of Lochshore removed leaving the council to concentrate on Ardrossan Harbour.

Then there is the replacement for Garnock Academy where they seem set in changing a major opportunity into a disaster by locating in in the no mans land of Longbar. They think saving  money from removing school buses from Beith is more important than choosing the best site for a school.

Local Development Plan, the SNP changes

This is the section that the SNP councillor had removed from the Local Development Plan.
The Section titled RES 9 : Large Scale Regeneration Opportunities

Lochshore, Glengarnock

Proposals for a residential led enabling development will be supported provided such proposals form part of an approved comprehensive masterplan for the area. Such development will establish or contribute to an existing Town Centre Regeneration Fund and also provide a basis for improvement to the existing business/industrial development at Lochshore South, which may include its rationalisation and/or consolidation. The masterplan will demonstrate the creation of direct links with Kilbirnie Town Centre and also on the major opportunity for creation of a well connected green network in the area.

The masterplan will also set out in detail the proposed phasing for the development, including timescales.

Provision of an education campus on the site would also be supported.

The development of land at Caledonian Road outwith the control of the majority landowner lies within the masterplan boundary and will require to consider links to the wider masterplan site.

Now the only major Regeneration Opportunity being pursued in North Ayrshire is for Ardrossan Harbour.

Should you want to make a case for Kilbirnie please get the forms from the website

 http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/BusinessAndTrade/PlanningAndBuildingStandards/Planning-LocalDevelopmentPlan/LocalDevelopmentPlan.aspx