New Chard primary school may not be delivered for at least three years

Chard is expected to see significant housing growth in the coming years, with the Chard Eastern Development Area (CEDA) expected to deliver more than 2,700 new homes and 13 hectares of employment land within the next decade.

South Somerset District Council has committed in its Local Plan to delivering two new primary schools in the town and confirmed in July 2021 that a site for the first school had been identified within the CEDA area.

But Somerset County Council has now said there is “no current requirement” for this school at present – allowing it to reduce its overall borrowing by nearly £5M.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Where is the CEDA and what is planned there?

The CEDA consists of several parcels of land between the A358 Tatworth Road and the A30 Crewkerne Road, with the new homes being delivered in stages along with a new relief road to take traffic away from the town centre.

By 2028, the CEDA is expected to deliver at least 1,220 new homes, up to 13 hectares of employment land, a new primary school, “neighbourhood centres” with local facilities at Holbear and Millfields, new and improved highway infrastructure, and new sports facilities and public open spaces (including new football or rugby pitches).

A further 1,496 homes are expected to be delivered after 2028, as well as a second new primary school and two further neighbourhood centres at Avishayes and Stop Line Slopes.

Proposed site of 94 homes on the A358 Tatworth Road in Chard.

To date, the following CEDA sites have either been delivered or have planning permission in place:

200 homes on the A358 Tatworth Road, with a financial contribution towards the relief road – currently being constructed by Tilia Homes

94 homes to the south of the Tilia Homes site (a.k.a. Snowdon Grange) – to be delivered by Summerfield Developments

78 homes on Oakland Avenue, including a stretch of the relief road north of the A30 – delivered in Morrish Homes

The new Numatic research facility south of the A30 which will deliver “potentially about a third” of the employment land allocated within the CEDA

Plans for a further 252 homes on Tatworth Road, put forward by Persimmon Homes South West, remain under consideration five years after they were first submitted.

Chard currently has three primary schools – Avishayes Community Primary School on Fairview Rise, Manor Court Community Primary School on Duck Lane, and Redstart Primary School on Redstart Road.

These three schools feed into the Holyrood Academy secondary school on Zembard Lane, which is currently in the process of being expanded.

Any new school would have to be funded partly or wholly through contributions from these developments, secured through legal agreements between the council and the developers (known as Section 106 agreements).

Why is the new school being delayed?

The issue was discussed at length when the county council’s executive committee met in Taunton on Wednesday morning (August 17).

Jason Vaughan, the council’s director of finance and governance, said there was “no current requirement” for a new primary school in Chard, arguing that its projections with housing growth do not show a severe demand for any new facilities.

He said in his written report: “Within the current school basic need programme, £4.9M of borrowing approval has been set aside for Chard Primary School.

“A review of the estimated housing developments in the area, along with potential pupil numbers, has seen the need for additional places within the next two or three years fall back from the previous estimate.

“To this end, there is no current need to commission works at this school. The funding could either be handed back or utilised to offset the above pressure.”

Holyrood Academy on Zembard Lane in Chard.

The council said it would be “focusing on maximising the potential of existing sites wherever possible” until the new school was needed.

Councillor Tessa Munt said: “I know that people in children’s services are reviewing every school property and school roll numbers, looking at population figures.

“I would observe that our birth rate is declining. Although it seems there is an inordinate amount of housebuilding going on, particularly in Chard, this seems to just sustain the numbers in schools – just balancing it.”

The council indicated in June that several schools in the more rural parts of the county may have to close in the next few years as a result of declining pupil numbers prompted by the falling birth rate.

Mr Vaughan promised that the new Chard school would be delivered if the need was identified in the future.

He said: “We’re not seeing the pupil numbers come through, but we are looking at this all the time and making a revised forecast about the need going forward.

“This doesn’t mean there won’t be a need in three years or five years. If that need comes forward, that will be fulfilled.”

Numerous developments in Chard – including the Summerfield site – are being held up as a result of the ongoing phosphates crisis, stemming from the Dutch N court ruling.

Chard lies within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area, meaning that additional mitigation has to be secured from developers before any new homes can be delivered.

Council leader Bill Revans said that new schools may be needed sooner than anticipated in the parts of Somerset outside of the catchment area – including large sections of his own North Petherton division and the land around Bridgwater.

He said: “There are parts of the county which are not part of the phosphates catchment area and where housing is built out quicker than expected. That has a big impact on pupil numbers.”

What will happen to this money?

The £4.9M for the new Chard primary school formed part of the county council’s capital programme and comprised external borrowing.

The majority of this money will be “re-purposed” within the programme to make up for budget shortfalls on other projects across the county.

Six projects are currently running over budget due to high inflation within the construction industry, with a total of £4.824M being needed to balance the books.

The biggest offender in this regard is the new Orchard Grove Primary School in Taunton, which was originally due to cost £7.3M but is now projected to come in at £10.5M – a rise of nearly 44 per cent.

The other project currently running over budget includes improvements to the Sky College in Taunton (£150,000 over budget), the revamping of Wellington Library (£97,000) and the upgrade to Bridgwater Library (£96,000). 

In addition to its capital budget, the council is predicting an overspend in its current revenue budget of £18.5M – and will have to find around £44.5M of savings in the first budget of the new unitary authority.

Mr Vaughan said the financial challenges facing Somerset were not unique to the county, pointing to other examples in the south of England.

He said: “A lot of other councils are starting to make headlines. Devon is predicting a £40M in-year overspend, I know Hampshire has talked about £237M over three years.

“It is not a Somerset County Council issue, it is a national issue. These are unprecedented times with difficult challenges.”

How have the local councillors responded?

The potential site of Chard’s new primary school (and the entirety of the CEDA) lies within the Chard South division, which is represented by two county councillors.

Liberal Democrat councillor Jason Baker – who also serves on the district council – spoke at the meeting in Taunton, asking for the county council to renegotiate existing legal agreements with housing developers to ensure that no money to build the new school was lost.

He said: “I’m quite aware that we’re behind on the plan for delivering the CEDA, due to covid, phosphates and the cost of living crisis. But I want us to have another look at that plan and see where we’re at.

“The three existing primary schools can’t cope with much more. I am a foster carer, and every time I get a new placement I have to beg to the schools for a place.

“If we’re looking at building a new school – which we are going to do in the future – we should go in early with developers and be honest with them about renegotiation. It would be horrific if we missed out on this money.”

Ms Munt responded: “I’m very confident that the reviews that take place, looking at the types of housing that are going to be built, are very thorough.

“I am confident that if there is a need to build a new primary school in Chard, based upon the numbers, that will be acted upon.

“The trigger points for Section 106 agreements are not being met yet. We are not facing a need to do anything in a rush for three or four years.”

Conservative councillor Connor Payne published a statement before the committee meeting, branding the council “narrow-minded”.

He said: “The Lib Dems have been in for just over four months. Yet, they’ve already racked up a forecast overspend of £18.5M.

“We don’t have the amenities as it is, and with over 2,200 homes coming to Chard, how will the schools cope?

“I can’t understand why a few narrow-minded representatives are letting communities like Chard suffer as a result of appalling mismanagement of our finances. More must be done to resolve this issue.

“How can Chard improve if we don’t have the amenities to match a rapidly growing population? We can’t.

“I look forward to seeing what the Lib Dems do to solve this problem. Once they’ve figured it all out, I look forward to seeing if the council will commit to building the school.”

What happens next?

The county council’s executive voted unanimously to delay work on the new Chard primary school, freeing up £4.9M of borrowing – but asked officers to come back with updated proposals for delivering the school later in the year.

A report into the delivery of the new Chard eastern relief road (ERR), which forms an integral part of the CEDA, is expected to come before the district council’s area west committee on September 21.