Cllr Rick Payne is collecting views on proposed plans by Birmingham City Council to build a SEND school on Burford Road Playing Fields. Cllr Payne has said:
I was recently contacted by residents regarding workmen seen on the Burford Road Playing Fields. I have contacted the Council and found out that they were doing a site visit on behalf of the education department, who are now looking at potentially placing a SEND School on the site. As residents will recall, myself and Kingstanding Conservatives have twice managed to stop the Council building houses on the site in previous plans the Labour Council have brought forward. I am therefore keen to ensure residents can have their say on whether or not this is a suitable site for the proposed school before the Council get any further on with their scheme. I think it is vital residents are able to have their say as, so far, the Council have not engaged properly with myself as your Councillor nor with local residents. However the Council have recently said that they have spoken with the local Labour MP.
The proposal as the Council have currently described it is that part of the site would be developed into a SEND school and the remaining part of the site would be kept as green space. At this point they have not been clear about what the split of the each of these parts of the playing fields would be. Nor was it clear what status they would give the remaining green space. For example would it have formal protected status as a park or not. Once I have the responses to this survey I will be submitting the details to the Council and asking them to listen to the views of local residents. I will also update local residents on the results and the response the Council provide.
