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King Edward VI Community College

King Edward VI Community College

Frequently Asked Questions

If the land is sold what will it be used for? 

At this stage we are requesting permission from Secretary of State for Education to sell the land, we will only be in a position to consider what the land is used for when we have that permission and have been able to talk to potential buyers to see what they might plan for the areas identified.  

Please note, however, the Secretary of State approval is only the first step of the process.  Any development will also need to go through the planning process in the same way as any development would, it is at that point you will be able to see your specific plans and comment on them if you feel that is appropriate. 

Will the college be seeking planning permission to develop the land? 

Although this is not part of this stage of the process and no decision has been made on this we can say it is unlikely.  The more likely scenario is that we enter into an agreement with the purchaser on a proposal they have put forward that is conditional on them receiving planning approval for their idea, they would then put this forward as a planning application. 

What happens next / How does the process move on from here? 

This consultation period will support a submission to the Secretary of State where we are requesting permission to sell the land identified.  Any submissions we receive will be part of that and will be considered as part of the process.  If permission to sell the land is given we will then move on to the next step which will be to identify a buyer (or buyers) for the areas identified.  Any proposal of how the land will be used will then need to go through the usual legal process (such as planning permission approval). 

Why is the college not selling all the land it has available to it? 

We believe by selling the identified plots of land we will realise a significant capital receipt enabling us to significantly improve the College’s buildings and facilities.  There are restrictions imposed on the College as to what land we can develop which have been considered in this proposal, and we also believe that by developing a Community Hub in the area closest to the river we are able to provide an excellent area for the community to enjoy and potentially allow local sports clubs or other providers to develop and thrive in the local area. 

What is the future of the hockey pitch? 

The intention is for the existing all-weather hockey pitch to continue to be available and used by the local community.   The replacement of the pitch that took place 4 years ago was partially funded by my South Hams District Council and has a community use agreement attached to it which safeguards its use.  We are looking at how best this pitch, and the grass area that will remain on the Elmhirst site, can be used and managed to best meet the needs of the sports clubs who use it and the wider community. 

If you sell Redworth house the town will no longer have a 6th form for local students to attend 

The College will retain its Sixth Form provision as part of this proposal.  As you can hopefully see from the consultation document we propose moving the provision of the 6th form from Redworth House to the main college site and also provide new, modern, dedicated 6th form facilities on the main site to keep the separate ‘feel’ of the 6th form provision.  Any facilities developed and used by the 6th form will also have the advantage of being developed for that purpose rather than a residential building adapted to school use as the current building has been. 

Why sell any land? 

The college is in the fortunate position of owning significant land around its site that is no longer needed for educational purposes.   Unfortunately, we also have building stock on the school site which is far from ideal and needs significant investment and improvement - in our most recent building survey approximately £2 million pounds of work was identified to keep the buildings functioning at their current level (i.e. not improving them at all) - this is obviously a huge investment that we are unable to fund through our normal school budget.   

It is also unlikely that other funding becomes available through any ‘normal’ school funding source to fund this level of improvement.  Therefore, the best route open to the college is to sell land it has identified as being surplus to its needs and reinvest all of that receipt back into the College building and facilities. 

Won't any receipt from the sale of land simply be absorbed into the school budget and spent on ongoing revenue costs? 

Any capital receipt received from the sale of land can only be used to reinvest in capital projects on the school site such as the replacement and refurbishment of the buildings we have or on other similar resources.  We are unable to use these buildings. 

Why can’t these improvements be funded by local or central Government?  

There are very few large-scale building projects funded by central or local Government at the moment and those that are, tend to be targeted at specific issues (such as increasing the number of school places available in areas where there is population growth).  At this stage and with the likely impact of COVID-19 on public spending in this area it is our opinion that the level and scale of the improvements needed at KEVICC are highly unlikely to be funded in this way – though throughout this process we will also try to identify other sources of funding that will supplement any capital receipt from the sale of land. 

How will the College deliver sport with fewer sports pitches? 

Although the College will be operating wherever possible from one site on the Redworth Site then the number of pitches available for use will be the same as it is currently – the main difference will be that we will have access to more facilities that are able to be used all year round which will be a significant improvement on what we are able to deliver at present. 

What if you don’t raise enough money? 

The plans contained in the consultation document are what we realistically think we can achieve with the expected capital receipt we may realise from the sale of the areas identified.  However, these plans are based on assumptions regarding land sale values, construction costs, and a lot of other factors that mean this proposal is likely to change as we become more certain of the actual figures involved.   

The consultation document sets out the principles of what we’d like to achieve for the College site rather than detailed, specific building plans of exactly what will be provided – the more detailed plans, which will come later, will adapt to what the actual figures involved are.   

The College is confident that we will be able to make significant improvements to the College buildings and facilities with the capital receipt received.  

What will happen to the sixth form? 

The College intends to continue providing a Sixth Form but from a base that has been designed and built for these purposes rather than from the existing location which has been developed from a residential building over the years.  This will have a huge benefit to the teaching and learning happening in the Sixth Form as students will be using new, modern, facilities, and it will also improve the management of the College as a whole as we won’t need Teacher’s and other staff to be located and move between the two sites.   

Who decides what is sold? 

The Governors of the College will make the final decision on what areas are sold.  They have a duty to secure the best value for the College in any process they follow.

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