Following a Public Inquiry on the application to register Rumney Recreation Ground as a Town or Village Green, an independent inspector has recommended that the land in question should not be registered as such.
Leslie Blohm QC, the inspector appointed by the Council as registration authority to conduct the Public Inquiry on September 21-23, is recommending that the recreation ground does not satisfy the legal criteria for registration as a Town or Village Green.
His recommendation will be reported to the Council’s Public Protection Committee at its next meeting on January 11, 2011.
Earlier this year, the Welsh Assembly Government formally agreed to Cardiff Council’s plans to reorganise secondary education in the east of the city by discontinuing Llanrumney High and Rumney High schools and establishing a new secondary school on part of the Rumney Recreation Ground fields.
The Council developed the proposal in response to the challenging issues of surplus school places, falling pupil numbers and ageing school buildings that are affecting schools across the city. The proposal reflects the Council’s vision of developing an education system that offers the best possible opportunities to raise standards of achievement in viable and successful schools.
The Public Protection Committee will now consider the Inspector’s recommendation and if members of the committee agree to accept the recommendation, the plan to establish the new secondary school in the east of the city will proceed through the usual planning processes. It is anticipated that if planning permission is granted the new school would be ready in the school year 2013/2014.
Leader of Cardiff Council, Rodney Berman said: “I very much appreciate that this news will disappoint a lot of local residents and will not be what they wanted to hear, but we have analysed the situation very carefully and still believe this is the best option educationally for the children of the area. Future generations of children in this part of Cardiff deserve the very best educational environment to give them the best chance in life, and this is what our school plan seeks to provide.
“This outcome should now allow us to move forward with the establishment of a brand new, 21st Century secondary school. And as well as providing an enhanced learning environment for pupils, the creation of the new school will remove a large number of surplus places which are currently a significant drain on the funding the Council provides to Cardiff’s schools. The plan will also considerably upgrade the facilities at Eastern Leisure Centre which will be beneficial for the whole community.”
