Families in plea to save playing fields

LISA HORTON
16 July 2005 14:06

Families living near a Norwich school fear that yet more open playing fields will be concreted over when the building is closed down.

South Harford Middle School, in Locksley Road, Tuckswood, will be shutting for good as part of a massive reorganisation of Norwich schools.

The school will be merged with Tuckswood First School as part of an ambitious plan to phase out middle schools across the county. But people living nearby fear that the school grounds will be bulldozed and redeveloped into yet more homes.

Lynda Thain, 62, of Locksley Road, Norwich, said: "I don't want to see the Harford school land sold off for a housing development, but I am afraid it will happen. The playing fields should be used for sports and kept for the whole community to use. The playing fields will be lost at a time when the Government is trying to interest more children in sport in order to combat childhood obesity. It doesn't make sense."

According to Keith Farwell of campaign group Residents Against Inappropriate Development (RAID), the field must be saved from developers.

He said: "If we build over this playing field, the green space will be lost forever. Youngsters need areas where they can run around and kick a ball about safely. There is an obesity epidemic, but they will not lose the weight if there is nowhere for them to exercise.

"People should be very concerned about what is going to happen to the school site because there is a lot of pressure to build over our green spaces. Developers want to maximise the potential of the land as they see it. Fields across south Norwich, including the Loke playing fields off Dereham Road, are being eaten up by new developments, but if people don't speak out about it nothing will be done to stop it."

According to Norfolk County Council, the building will remain as a school until the reorganisation takes place in July, 2007.

Mark Langlands, spokesman for Norfolk County Council, said: "Things will remain as they are for another two years. After that, it is planned to create a new primary school serving local children in Tuckswood.

"Clearly, the county council will want to look at alternative future uses for the site at some stage in the future. Some sort of continuing educational use is a possibility. Any alternative use would require planning permission and local residents and councillors would be given a chance to make comments. We would like to stress that there is no favoured option at this stage and it is unlikely that firm proposals will emerge for some time yet."

The fears come after plans to sell off nearby Hewett School's playing fields to developers sparked outrage from the community.

Private developer David Lloyd wants to develop the land into a leisure sports and fitness centre. The controversial plans would also see a nursery and 80-bed nursing home built on the site.

Ü Are you fighting to save open spaces in your neighbourhood? Call Alasdair McGregor at the Evening News on (01603) 772443 or e-mail al.mcgregor@archant.co.uk