School is unlikely to build fence after all
A CONTROVERSIAL fence round a city school's playing fields is unlikely to be built after all — because the school is changing its identity.
Tamarside Community College won planning permission last week for a 2.4metre-high security fence around its campus.
The school governors decided a fence was needed to protect pupils after an incident three or four years ago in which a boy was bitten by a dog, and embarked on a lengthy planning application process.
However, the school will become Marine Academy Plymouth in September and Ruth Sparkes, the academy's spokeswoman, said the new institution had 'no intention of erecting this fence'.
Cllr George Wheeler, a Tamarside governor and a member of Plymouth City Council's planning committee, said the school had gone ahead with the planning application because it hadn't been told of the new academy's intentions.
However, he said the governors were clear that they would not commit the new academy to anything.
Responding to local residents' fears about the loss of the fields, he said: "Our intention is not to disallow use of the field.
"We want the field to be used by people. We don't want it to be used by animals, particularly dogs. Dogs and playing fields don't mix."
He said that most dog-owners were responsible, but that even if they did pick up their dogs' droppings some of it inevitably remained on the grass.
"We are also proposing to deny use of the field to younger people, some of whom gather there for under-age drinking," he said.
Mr Wheeler said the college applied to put up a fence last year, but this was turned down by the planning committee in October after ojections from local residents.
A reworded application went to the committee this week and was granted permission.
Mr Wheeler said: "We stop being Tamarside at the end of August, and I think it's almost certain that the existing governors will agree we shouldn't take decisions now for the new school.
"If we had been allowed to put up a fence as recently as Easter we would probably have gone ahead.
"I'd be surprised if any college was to allow its playing fields to be kept in the state that Tamarside's are in if they're in a position to do anything about it."
The planning committee last week agreed the school could fence off its campus, and the neighbouring Newton Avenue playing field. They were shown a map of the extensive green spaces that would still be available to the community.
A council spokesman said the planning permission would automatically pass to the new governors of Marine Academy Plymouth.
Ms Sparkes added: "The current governors of Tamarside have applied for and have been granted permission for this fence.
"However, the current school will close at the end of August and it is unlikely that Tamarside Community College will have time to erect a fence prior to its official closure."
Comments
by Margaret Bolt, 227 Kings Tamerton Road.
Friday, June 11 2010, 11:22PM
“I think that it is right that this field is left open to be used freely out of school hours by ALL members of the community. When we moved into Kings Tamerton Road 21 years ago there was waste land behind my house where the "prefabs" where demolished and we were led to believe that a playing field was to be built for the use of the whole community, not just for the school, which then had lots of green land in its presinct. There may be extensive green areas in this district but I can think of no other reasonably flat playing fields suitable for ball games, safely away from roads and fenced to stop balls going into gardens, as this field is. Children who use the field for underage drinking would not stop if they were excluded from it, they would go somewhere else. And children who use the field now for playing in or for impromptue ball games would probably just hang around the streets.
Now to dog walking.The dog attack mentioned was over 3 years ago and I have heard of none since so this is a rare occurance. I think childern these days are more at risk from each other!
Also, there may be a little dog mess left on the grass after "scooping the poop" but there is also bird mess, which can carry disease as well. How would Mr Wheeler stop this? I think the answer is to teach the children to wash after using the field! There is pleanty of documented evidence of how dog ownership is beneficial to health too, and having a dog can teach children resonsibility. I am so fed up with all the bad publicity dogs get and having dogs excluded from everywhere. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners. I have a German Shepherd who loved playing with the children in the field when she was younger and has never bitten any child. Dogs guide the blind, help hearing impared and disabled people. They rescue those who are lost and comfort those in hospitals and homes for the elderly. They are companions for those who would otherwise be alone, so they diserve to be included as part of the community. Older dog owners in the immidiate vascinity of the field may not be able to go far to walk their dogs so should be able to use it. I emailed some of these points to Mr Wheeler knowing he was a member of the planning commitee and thinking he could help to stop the application. I did not realise at that time that he was one of the school govenors and that I would therefore not get a sympathetic hearing.Was Mr Wheeler sitting on the planning board on the day this application was heard? If so what was one of the school goveners doing having a say in the granting of the application any way? Is there not a conflict of interest here? Can any of the councellors get pet projects through in this way? I do not know what the rules are but I assume that the planning commitee should be impartial in order to make a fair decision. I hope this was the case here.”