£330m: Spending plans from Kirklees Council include new £8m primary school and £30m for sports centre

A NEW school could be built in Huddersfield – but officials insist they have yet to select a site.

Councillors will decide next week whether to back a five-year investment plan which could lead to a major upgrade to the roads network as well as a new primary school.

Kirklees Council officials describe the new school as being planned for Lindley/North Huddersfield at a cost of £8.3m

But the council’s press office insisted on Thursday that the size and site of the school had yet to be considered.

“These are indicative amounts based on the experience of the officers involved,” said a council spokeswoman.

Clr Cahal Burke, who represents Lindley on Kirklees, said the area badly needed a new school. But the Lib Dem added that there were no suitable sites in his ward.

“I have had a number of parents contact me concerned about school places and admissions, the need for a new school and where this could be in the Lindley area,” said Clr Burke.

“There is an absolute need for additional school places in north Huddersfield, especially the Lindley area where all schools are over subscribed and many parents do not get their first choice school.

“I am extremely concerned, because this situation is going to deteriorate when housing developments are complete.

“I don’t know of any appropriate sites in the Lindley area, so would have thought Birkby area would benefit or some may try for Edgerton area.”

Clr Burke added that a new primary school in Huddersfield was likely to be outside the council’s influence.

“I don’t know specifics about size but could only speculate that it would be a free school or academy,” he said.

Officials have provided Clr Burke with a three-page briefing about pupil numbers at the primary schools in his ward: Lindley Juniors, Lindley Infants, Moorlands Primary, Reinwood Infants and Reinwood Juniors.

According to the document, all 2,100 places at the schools are taken.

Five hundred children who live outside the catchment area – including Birkby, Paddock, Crosland Moor and Spring Grove – attend primary schools in the Lindley ward.

The briefing explains that primary schools across Huddersfield are under pressure because of the growing birthrate.

“There is a net increase in the number of children being born in some areas of Kirklees and hence an increased need for places at specific schools,” said the document.

“Additional capacity has been established at Dry-clough Infants, Crosland Moor Juniors, Birkby Infants and Mount Pleasant.

“A possible new school at Crosland Moor is likely to have an impact on the availability of places across a wide area.”

The new school is just part of a multi-million pound investment plan which will be debated at Wednesday’s monthly council meeting, which begins at 5pm at Huddersfield Town Hall.

The Capital Plan, which will run from 2013 to 2018, features upgrades to major road junctions in Huddersfield, including Ainley Top, Cooper Bridge, Longroyd Bridge and Lockwood Bar.

Officials have estimated the cost of each development – but the Kirklees press office claimed there were no details about any of these plans either.

“The council’s strategic investment plan sets priorities for next five to 15 years and will be the subject of further debate on what can be achieved and the timeframes involved,” said a Kirklees spokeswoman.

“Following this debate the finer details will be discussed but as yet no decisions have taken place or negotiations commenced.”

If councillors approve the plan, officers will draw up detailed proposals for debate at February’s monthly council meeting.

OFFICIALS plan to spend tens of millions on a new sports centre for Huddersfield.

Kirklees Council’s Capital Plan for 2013 to 2018 sets aside £30m for the new facility, which is being built at Spring Grove Car Park in Springwood.

Some £15m will be spent in 2013/14 followed by £13m the next year.

In 2015/16 the council is due to invest £1.5m in the centre followed by £500,000 the year after.

The new centre will include a leisure pool complete with wave machine, flume and sidewinder; a teaching pool; two large sports halls, a squash court, a fitness suite and a climbing wall.

The development will include improved lighting to a pedestrian subway linking the site with Huddersfield Bus Station.

The new sports centre will have 124 parking spaces, compared with 443 in the car park before the work began earlier this year.

The Springwood building will replace the town’s existing sports centre on Southgate.

The ageing centre will be demolished, along with Ibbotson and Richmond Flats, to make way for a new 24-hour Tesco.

The retail giant plans to knock down its current town centre store at Viaduct Street to make way for a hotel, offices, bars and apartments.

Tesco will make a contribution to the funding of the £35m sports centre at Springwood – but Kirklees has consistently refused to reveal how much, claiming “commercial sensitivity”.

It is unclear how much, if any, of the £30m due to be spent from 2013 onwards will come from the retail giant. Clr Andrew Cooper, who leads the Greens on Kirklees, has been a long-standing critic of the redevelopment.

He said yesterday: “The council has never publicly said what’s come from Tesco. Obviously, it’s not been sufficient to cover the cost.

“A significant proportion of the overall cost will come from the council taxpayers – though the council has never admitted it.”

Clr Cooper believes the Southgate centre could have been redeveloped.

The Newsome councillor said: “Why not do the work on the existing centre?

“Is it really going to cost that sort of money to improve the existing centre?”

Clr Cooper added that the building work was making life difficult for Springwood residents.

“They have trucks going up and down and problems with dust. The residents are being woken up at early hours,” he said.

“Many of the people are elderly and vulnerable.”

PROPOSALS FOR CAPITAL SPENDING IN KIRKLEES 2013-2018

New Primary School in Lindley/North Huddersfield area: £8.3m

Investment in Birkby Junior School to meet immediate capacity needs: £1.5m

Lydgate Special School: £6m