Call to fast-track pitches after new Littleborough secondary school plans put ‘on ice’

Desperately-needed community sports pitches should be fast-tracked after plans for the new secondary school earmarked to host them were put ‘on ice’, a councillor has said.

Councillor Janet Emsley, deputy leader of Rochdale Council, says the local authority cannot ‘leave it to the whim’ of the government, following its decision to pause plans for the 750-place Lakeside Academy, in Littleborough.

The free school – which was set to be built at Littleborough Playing Fields and open in 2025 – was signed off in 2019, as concerns mounted over the area facing a shortfall of well over 100 pupil places.

But the Department for Education rowed back on the decision last November – citing a projected drop in demand for places – much to the fury of Lakeside ward councillors.
 

Read more: Fury as government says there is no guarantee ‘desperately needed’ new secondary school will ever be builtPublished: 21 November 2022

While the school would be run by Star Academies, an agreement allowing the community access to its sports facilities would be required as part of the planning permission process.

Councillor Emsley told a meeting of the Pennines Township Committee the council needed to take matters into its own hands.

“We can’t keep waiting for a decision to be made by Whitehall,” she said. “We have got kids that are growing up without any sports facilities. They lost the sports village at Milnrow, at Wildhouse Lane. It’s a shrinking of facilities that is happening.”

She added that new pitches were needed by ‘various organisations’ in the area, including Wardle FC and Mayfield FC.

“We need a joined up conversation with all these people, because there are organisations that want to use those pitches now. We can’t be at the whim of a government department that has put this school on ice.”

Speaking following a presentation on behalf of Your Trust – an independent charity which runs the council’s leisure facilities – she stressed the need for help required by different groups, particularly those ‘wondering how they can best serve the young people, in particular’.

“Let’s face it, if this secondary school is on ice for five years and there’s a 10-year-old out there, they will be 15 by the time this school’s built – and they haven’t had football facilities, rugby facilities, hockey – or whatever people will play on these pitches,” she said.

Nathan Matley, head of strategic projects at Your Trust said Littleborough was particularly in need of a new 4G pitch.

“It’s the only township where there isn’t one and there’s a massive demand for it,” he told councillors.

“What that does is take away all the problems you have with shared use of pitches –  the weather in the winter, conditions of the pitches. With 4G, you have literally so many teams that can play on that at the weekend.”

But he continued: “The question is, if the school is going to be delayed and delayed and delayed, do we push ahead and build a 4G pitch, so when the school comes along it’s there –  and if not, it’s open and we have got one there, that’s the key question.”

Following its decision to put plans for a new secondary school in Littleborough on indefinite hold last November, the Department for Education issued the following statement.

“New free schools such as Star Lakeside Academy are approved where there is a clear need for new places in a local area.

“Rochdale council have provided assurances they are able to manage the need for places for 2023/24, and we will continue to work with the local authority and Star Academies to analyse local demand in Rochdale going forwards.”

Pennines Township committee met at Number One Riverside on Tuesday night (6 June).

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service