Steering group for future of school site to be formed

Balderstone and Kirkholt Councillors, Pat Colclough and Dale Mulgrew, at the site

A steering group to discuss the future of the former Balderstone School site is to be formed.

The site, on Queen Victoria Street, is currently being used to house students from Kingsway Park High School whilst the school’s site on Turf Hill Road is redeveloped.

When the new site is ready the Queen Victoria site will no longer be required, so Balderstone and Kirkholt Councillors, Pat Colclough and Dale Mulgrew want to form a group to look at what the future holds for the site and ensure a plan is in place.

The academic side of the site is part of the Building Schools for the Future settlement, but the Councillors want the remainder of the site to be retained for community and social purpose.

Ideally this will mean that the playing field, the ITC centre, the artificial turf pitches, sports hall and community classrooms are retained and developed as a community hub for the area.

Councillor Colclough, a Kingsway Park High School governor, said: “This Queen Victoria site is still is a key location for the future, as it has so much potential to offer to the communities of Kirkholt, Queensway and Balderstone.

"We aim now to set up a steering group which will bring together community leaders and council officers to set an agenda for this site for the future. We intend for the first meeting to be scheduled in the next few weeks."

Councillor Mulgrew, added: "We have definitely a site here which could even be integrated into the current facilities at Balderstone Park. This could result in a larger recreational space, with amenities that would bring a real focus for the neighbourhood."