Clacton County High School has been working with Essex County Council (ECC) on plans which would provide 450 additional secondary school places, whilst its sixth form provision would be relocated to the Tendring Education Centre site in west Clacton. Tendring Education Centre is a modern building with facilities which the school considers lend themselves well to a post-16 learning environment.
The number of children in Clacton’s primary schools has been increasing for several years, and more places are needed at secondary school to meet this need. Space created at the Walton Road site could partially facilitate a new 10 classroom block along with a four-court sports hall which could be built at the existing school site to provide facilities for the larger number of 11-16-year-old children, under the proposals.
The expansion project would require increasing the playing field space within the school at the Walton Road site, and ECC has requested TDC transfer some of the existing recreation ground to allow for that.
Initial discussion between ECC and Tendring District Council (TDC) has led to proposals that the project would improve access arrangements at the rear of the school and would also provide a new, state of the art, all-weather pitch at Clacton Leisure Centre along with other improvements to this facility. Additionally, further land between Rush Green Recreation Ground and Jaywick Lane would be improved and made available for public use.
The proposal is to dispose of around 1.8 hectares of land forming part of the recreation ground. The land is proposed to be disposed of to facilitate extension of the adjoining Clacton County High School.
To offset the reduction in open space it is anticipated that an area of land will be added to the recreation ground at Rush Green, subject to separate decision, and that a number of enhancements will improve the remaining leisure facilities. Details of the areas and the improvements proposed are shown on the plans.
The intention is for the sixth form to move to west Clacton in September 2020, and the additional buildings at the Walton Road site completed for September 2021. Market Field School is also currently providing Post 16 SEND places on the TEC site and this provision would continue alongside the CCHS sixth form centre.
The land to be disposed of is held for public open space purposes and any persons who object to the disposal must submit their objections in writing to the address below or by email to: assets@tendringdc.gov.uk by not later than 06 September 2019.
DATED: 07 August 2019
Andrew R White
Head of property services
Town Hall
Station Road
Clacton-on-Sea
Essex
CO15 1SE