Stalemate over college plans (From Your Local Guardian)

Stalemate over college plans

10:56am Wednesday 2nd July 2008 in

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Indecision over a new Ashford college brought red faces at a meeting of planning bosses.

Spelthorne Council's planning committee failed to come to an agreement on whether to allow developers to demolish the existing Church Road building and replace it with a modern glass structure, despite over an hour of discussion that pushed two related items off the agenda, last Wednesday.

Chairman of the meeting, Councillor John O'Hara called a vote on whether to permit the plans, which will see Brooklands College, previously Spelthorne College, which includes a 1910 facia, torn down.

The vote returned seven in favour of the plans and eight against. But when it came to record the votes for refusal of the application, councillors voted four in favour, seven against, and there were four abstentions, leaving the decision at stalemate.

“It is wrong to say we are against a new college. We are not. But we are against this development - we can do better.”

Councillor Ian Beardsmore

Coun O'Hara said: "We are getting in very deep water and I am getting very angry."

His legal advisers agreed to the suggestion to conduct a site visit, during which councillors could ask questions of the developers and better visualise the proposals.

Councillors were torn between wanting better education provision to bridge the skills gap that Councillor Richard Smith-Ainsley insisted had forced many companies to leave Spelthorne, and the loss of an early 20th century building, which Lower Sunbury Ward Councillor Ian Beardsmore said was a symptom of Spelthorne's current "carbunkle mode".

Coun Beardsmore said: "It is wrong to say we are against a new college. We are not. But we are against this development - we can do better."

The site visit will be conducted in the coming weeks, the date to be confirmed.

Councillors will be asked to vote again at the next council meeting on Wednesday, August 20.