We have had many messages from neighbours who went to see the plans for the new Horizon School at the open council meeting last week. Your feedback was one of utter dismay.
The 3D "elevations" of the school revealed an imposing and dominating building, dwarfing the surrounding houses. The latest plans are not available on the Hackney website yet so we can't direct you to them.
These plans are going into the planning department imminently and once they are "validated" as viable plans by the planning department the consultation phase will begin. This 12-week period is when any objections must be made.
It was agreed at the last residents meeting to have regular fortnightly meetings during the planning phase – and the next one is today, 7.00pm at The Palatine. Come and share a pre-Christmas drink and help with the next phase of planning our objections.
We also got conflicting messages on playroad and part time sensory garden and playground running through the school: we have been told it was going to be used only for setting off and collecting pupils so that its usage would "not conflict with play times or other use of outdoor spaces", although the contractors Mouchel Babcock were absolutely clear at the open meeting that the Playroad "would have to be used through the day for the running of the school".
Similar conflicting information was provided on the issue of the local traffic of the school where three sets of opinions were rehearsed by the project team when talking to different members of the public - travel to school was to be restricted to the use of 6 32-seater buses, or was going to include a few parents dropping off their children usinfg private cars or taxis but this activity was to be phased out, or it would unavoidably include private cars or taxis for the foreseeable future.
Most of us who attended have no doubt that we cannot be confident about any assurances we have been given regarding the development of this site and are very concerned at the way the project team interprets the meaning of the word 'consultation'.
See you at the Palatine tonight at 7.00
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