Elected Mayor Mark Meredith and Council Manager Steve Robinson both categorically assured the HoHH/PETRA meeting on 15th November that there were no plans for future use of the Haywood High School site, if the School is forced to move.
However, ...
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Does this fill you with confidence?
So, a large NMA (Neighbourhood Management Authority?) building (Joint Service Centre) on either the Haywood site or Acreswood.
Since surveyors have been sighted on Acreswood, and now Council workers have been spotted with spraycans marking pavements (who, incidentally, "declined to say what they were doing"), we have to assume that Acreswood will be built upon come what may, and that the future of the Haywood site is "set in stone".
You
have been warned! Secrecy pervades the Council!
To make life a bit more interesting, we sent the following e-mail to the Andrew Woolliscroft who made this presentation:
Mr Andrew Woolliscroft
Senior Project Surveyor
Stoke-on-Trent City Council Regeneration Department Property Services
22/11/07
Dear Mr Woolliscroft,
It has recently come to the attention of the Hands off Haywood High Community Group that, on Tuesday 13th November 2007, you made a presentation to Tunstall Burslem North Area Implementation Team.
On page 12 of your presentation, entitled Northern NMA Joint Service Centre - Potential Sites, you identify Haywood High School and Acreswood ("Land/Open Space adj. Haywood High") as potential sites, and on page 13, for a "large NMA" you identify the same two sites.
Could you please inform us:
1) Are the surveyors recently seen on the Acreswood site from your Department? If so, for what are they surveying - a school or a large NMA?
2) Are the council workers recently seen marking pavements around Acreswood from your Department? If so, why did they refuse to say what they were doing?
3) The Elected Mayor and Council Manager denied all knowledge of survey work being carried out at Acreswood. If this work has been carried out by your Department, why were the two most senior figures in the Council not informed?
4) If your Department is not carrying out this survey work, who is?
5) Since the Haywood site is occupied by a perfectly viable school, why is this site being considered for a NMA? Do plans exist for the use of the site if Serco force the school to move?
Please consider this to be a request in the Public Interest under the Freedom of Information Act.
Regards,
Hands off Haywood High Community Group
To his credit, the man replied almost immediately:
Thank you
for your email earlier today. In response to your questions please see below.
1) Are the surveyors recently seen on the Acreswood site from your Department? If so, for what are they surveying - a school or a large NMA?
To my knowledge Property Services has not been involved in any site surveys in this area. The property review team is currently reviewing a number of locations but is only at the feasibility stage. No surveys have been commissioned nor are any firm plans undertaken for any particular sites.
2) Are the council workers recently seen marking pavements around Acreswood from your Department? If so, why did they refuse to say what they were doing?
To my knowledge there have been no Property Services staff undertaking any pavement markings around the Acreswood area. There were certainly no workers sent on behalf of the property review team. We have so far only been involved in purely desktop studies.
3) The Elected Mayor and Council Manager denied all knowledge of survey work being carried out at Acreswood. If this work has been carried out by your Department, why were the two most senior figures in the Council not informed?
Property Services has neither undertaken nor commissioned survey work in this area thus the Elected Mayor and Council Manager's response.
4) If your Department is not carrying out this survey work, who is?
I am not aware of any other department's activities in this area.
5) Since the Haywood site is occupied by a perfectly viable school, why is this site being considered for a NMA? Do plans exist for the use of the site if Serco force the school to move?
As part of the property review process we are currently at the first stage of evaluating the requirement/need for Joint Service Centres in various areas of the City. These will provide increased and valuable services directly to the neighbourhoods where they are needed, based on a model similar to the new Bentilee Neighbourhood Centre. To date we have been talking to the AIT in consideration of potential locations which may be appropriate in the future.
We have requested that the AIT members give us feedback on their views regarding the establishment of a new neighbourhood centre in the Northern part of the city, and where they feel it would be best placed. No decisions have been made or preferences indicated. The AIT has been asked only their initial views on whether a new centre is feasible.
The Building Schools for the Future programme is a major priority for the council, and as such any Joint Service Centre discussions would not influence the outcome of the BSF.
Regards
Andrew Woolliscroft
The mystery deepens.
1) Are the surveyors recently seen on the Acreswood site from your Department? If so, for what are they surveying - a school or a large NMA?
To my knowledge Property Services has not been involved in any site surveys in this area. The property review team is currently reviewing a number of locations but is only at the feasibility stage. No surveys have been commissioned nor are any firm plans undertaken for any particular sites.
2) Are the council workers recently seen marking pavements around Acreswood from your Department? If so, why did they refuse to say what they were doing?
To my knowledge there have been no Property Services staff undertaking any pavement markings around the Acreswood area. There were certainly no workers sent on behalf of the property review team. We have so far only been involved in purely desktop studies.
3) The Elected Mayor and Council Manager denied all knowledge of survey work being carried out at Acreswood. If this work has been carried out by your Department, why were the two most senior figures in the Council not informed?
Property Services has neither undertaken nor commissioned survey work in this area thus the Elected Mayor and Council Manager's response.
4) If your Department is not carrying out this survey work, who is?
I am not aware of any other department's activities in this area.
5) Since the Haywood site is occupied by a perfectly viable school, why is this site being considered for a NMA? Do plans exist for the use of the site if Serco force the school to move?
As part of the property review process we are currently at the first stage of evaluating the requirement/need for Joint Service Centres in various areas of the City. These will provide increased and valuable services directly to the neighbourhoods where they are needed, based on a model similar to the new Bentilee Neighbourhood Centre. To date we have been talking to the AIT in consideration of potential locations which may be appropriate in the future.
We have requested that the AIT members give us feedback on their views regarding the establishment of a new neighbourhood centre in the Northern part of the city, and where they feel it would be best placed. No decisions have been made or preferences indicated. The AIT has been asked only their initial views on whether a new centre is feasible.
The Building Schools for the Future programme is a major priority for the council, and as such any Joint Service Centre discussions would not influence the outcome of the BSF.
Regards
Andrew Woolliscroft
The mystery deepens.
- For whom do these surveyors work?
- Why are they on Acreswood?
- What are the paint marks?
Any information would be
gratefully received.