"Published on Tuesday 2 March 2004 14:23 DEJECTED students from cash-strapped St Elphin's School were in floods of tears after councillors blocked a proposed rescue package. Bosses at the Darley Dale school have described the emphatic decision as a huge shock and a fatal blow to the school's chances of survival. Derbyshire Dales District Council voted unanimously to reject a plan for residential development in the school grounds because it contravened the local plan. Martin Hughes, spokesman for the school, said: "It was not the council's fault the school found itself in this situation but it was in their hands to allow us to save the school – they have dealt us a fatal blow. "There was a large turnout from the school at Monday's meeting and many pupils and parents were crying their eyes out afterwards. "We knew all along that the proposals contravened the local plan but we thought the commercial, social and economic benefits of keeping the school might outweigh the local plan. It's a terrible shame and a huge loss to the district." The district council did not want to break the local plan and destroy green land between Darley Dale and Matlock only to find the proposed scheme did not save the school. Developers failed to provide enough detail in their planning application to convince councillors that the rescue package would succeed. District council leader Lewis Rose said: "We are being asked to pay a high price and take many risks in this application. We are being asked to approve houses that might last forever for a school which may not last long." By Will Kilner"
Reprinted by kind permission of Matlock Mercury |
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