Councillors Diane Smith, Peter Dean and Alan CollinsPeter Fortune *Your address*
c/o Members’ Room, *Your address*
Bromley Civic Centre, *Your address*
Stockwell Close, *Your address*
Bromley, *Your address*
Kent *Your address*
BR1 3UH *Your address*

Dear Councillors,

Planning Application for Eden Park High School Ref: 16/03145/OUT

Dear Councillor Fortune,

I was very disappointed to hear that the temporary site at the Ravensbourne School for Beckenham’s new free school, Eden Park High School (EPHS), has not received planning approval from Bromley Council. I am am therefore writing to express mysupport for the construction of Eden Park High School at the proposed school’s appeal process and the ultimate construction of the proposed permanent location at the site on Balmoral Avenue.

It has been well publicised that Bromley needs more school places. At a Bromley Council School Places Working Group meeting on 9 December 2015, it was recognised that there was “demand for an additional 34 secondary forms of entry across the Borough by 2022/2023”. Local residents now look to you to assist in passing the planning application of Eden Park High School, to help younger generations secure an excellent secondary education in Bromley.

  1. Eden Park High School will provide a first class education to young people in the area in a wonderful new learning environment with the very latest facilities.
  2. The school will focus on ‘the whole child’ helping them develop their skills and knowledge to prepare them for their futures and 21st century employment.
  3. As a result of the Borough’s growing population, the Greater London Authority has predicted Bromley will need an extra 3,673 secondary school places by the year 2024/2025. With 1,680 students, Eden Park High School will ultimately meet 46 percent of this demand.
  4. Without Eden Park High School there will not be sufficient secondary school places for the young people of Bromley. An increasing number of students will not get their first choice school and many may have to attend schools outside the Borough.
  5. Eden Park High School will take the pressure off other local schools struggling to cope with the increase in student numbers, and in particular the need for bulge classes.
  6. There is a particular shortage of secondary school places in the North West of the Borough. The proposed permanent site in Balmoral Avenue is ideally located.

The demand for a new school in Bromley is irrefutable. The Council itself has identified that there is an acute need for new schools in Bromley, especially in the North West of the Borough, the proposed permanent location for the school.

Parents and children in the Borough are negatively affected by the highly competitive nature of school applications, which is becoming ever more difficult with Bromley’s growing population.

I was disheartened to hear that Bromley Council has already deferred a decision on planning permission for the temporary site of Beckenham’s new free school, Eden Park High School (EPHS) at Tthe Ravensbourne School. This could unnecessarily delay the opening of the school, which means that parents of Year 7 children hoping to start at the school in 2017 will be disappointed.

As Ward Councillors, I ask you to support the planning application for construction of the new school in Balmoral Avenue. I ask you to consider the parents and children in the Borough and surrounding areas who are negatively affected by the highly competitive nature of school applications, which is becoming ever more difficult with London’s growing population. Eden Park High School and its proposed location on Balmoral Avenue present many wonderful opportunities for our young people, particularly the delivery of a first class education in a state-of-the-art facility, a unique benefit which will allow many young people in Bromley to develop core skills and knowledge required for 21st century employment.

In addition, the school will help alleviate the demand for school places in Bromley. With the Greater London Authority predicting Bromley will need an additional 3,673 secondary school places by the year 2024/2025, Eden Park High School will help lessen the need for bulge classes at existing schools, and the requirement for Bromley children to attend schools outside the Borough. Providing much-needed relief to the shortage of school places in the area, EPHS will provide 240 additional places annually for each Year 7 intake when at full capacity.

I believe the majority of Bromley residents and families from surrounding areas are in support of the construction of the school in Balmoral Avenue and as the Portfolio Holder for Education in Bromley, we are looking for your help in ensuring planning permission for Eden Park High School is secured.

Yours sincerely,

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