Camden New Journal - letters: South of the borough

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 5 July 2007

Please do not give up on south of the borough

• DON'T give up on a school in the south of the borough yet (School is ruled out for the south, June 28).
Camden Council claims that there are no sites in the south of the borough.
This really means that there are no sites they are prepared to pay for. How ironic that this claim should be made in the same week that you report the council has sold £30 million worth of assets.
But there is a ray of hope – or maybe two. Councillor Maya de Souza’s excellent suggestion that there could be two smaller schools could have the benefit of allowing one school to be built in the south of the borough while leaving space for the existing school for the deaf in the redevelopment of the Swiss Cottage site.
The other ray of hope is the suggestion from a local teacher that a site could be freed by Maria Fidelis, currently on two sites, being redeveloped on one site and the other being used for the new secondary school – brilliant.
While completely agreeing with your editorial about the sham consultation over the provision of a new secondary school, this possible solution shows that consultation can, by bringing many different minds and life experiences to a problem, come up with better solutions than the ‘professionals’.
The ideas of the people who do the work day in and day out are likely to be particularly relevant – as this case shows.
So, come on Camden Council, prove that dogma is not preventing you from listening, by developing these good ideas to give children and parents the schools they want.
SALLY THOMPSON
St Albans Road, NW5

• NEEDS of children living in the south of the borough seem to have been overlooked.
Tottenham Court Road ‘Opportunity Area’ is set to bring in at least 1,000 people to an already cramped area in the next 10 years. UCH redundant buildings are being converted into housing – much socially rented. Where is the logic of ignoring the need for a new school in these circumstances, quite apart from all the existing families in our area who have to send their children far and wide to find a school?
PENNY ABRAHAM
Labour councillor for Bloomsbury Ward

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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