COLLEGE ISSUE STATEMENT REGARDING PROPOSED SALE OF LAND

Cheadle & Marple Sixth Form College have released a statement regarding The Proposed Sale Of College Land.

“Cheadle and Marple 6th Form College believes passionately that young people and other learners deserve a teaching environment fit for the 21st century, and that our local communities should have access to the best educational, sport and recreational facilities possible on their own doorstep.

“However some of the College’s buildings and some facilities remain largely unchanged from the 1930s. Therefore we need to refurbish and modernise parts of our estate, which will require a significant level of financial investment.

“Unfortunately due the current economic climate and cuts we cannot – and do not want to be – an additional burden on the public purse. We therefore need to raise funds in other ways.

“Having explored a range of options the selling of college land is the only realistic way we believe we can generate the level of capital we need to make the changes required. Further, as we are required by law to obtain the best price for any sale of assets, it is almost inevitable that subsequent planning proposals have included design elements that some people have raised concerns about.

“In the case of Marple the formal planning application based on a retail proposal was refused while the initial plans for Cheadle, which included new housing and a sports facility, are currently being reviewed in response to recent public feedback.

“However as we still need to raise money for these badly needed improvements it is still our intention to pursue the sale of land, as and when appropriate and financially-viable schemes for each site are identified. We will also continue to consult publicly on any new proposals before making any further formal planning applications”.

Source: Iain Roberts