Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills at the Diggle site today discussing plans with Matthew Milburn, Headteacher of Saddleworth School
Oldham Council has now signed final legal agreements with partners to deliver the proposed new Saddleworth School at Diggle.
The local authority has been in negotiations to acquire an area of land at the former WH Shaw Pallets Works in Diggle to be funded using the existing school site on High Street, Uppermill, in exchange.
The option agreement now enables Oldham Council to complete this purchase at any time in the forthcoming months.
This will be done if and when Interserve – the construction partner selected by Government – obtains planning permission for the proposed development this summer.
The next steps will now see detailed design meetings taking place between Oldham Council, Saddleworth School, the Education Funding Agency – which manages the project for the Department for Education – and Interserve*.
The discussions aim to draw up a series of vital works that would be needed in the Diggle area.
These include carriageway and footpath widening works, the introduction of a School Safety Zone, the development of a residents’ car park and fencing work.
Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, visited the site today to discuss the plans with Matthew Milburn, Headteacher at Saddleworth School.
“It’s excellent news that we now have the necessary legal agreements in place to deliver a new Saddleworth School in Diggle”, she said.
“The meetings that will be held next will take around eight weeks to complete and they will be absolutely vital to this project.
“We know that some people in the local community have expressed concerns about the plans. It’s now our challenge to come up with a scheme of associated works that can deliver the best possible solution on these matters – and we are passionate about succeeding in that task.
“We know we must work hard to get the detail right in order to deliver a modern new secondary school that works for Saddleworth.
“Once the proposed works and designs are drawn up we will, as we have always promised, share these with the public for feedback before any planning application is submitted by Interserve.”
Matthew Milburn added: “Saddleworth School is an important institution but the local community is equally important to us.”
“Our technical group is looking forward to playing a full part in these discussions and helping to ensure the proposed improvements and designs offer the best possible outcome.
“This will be a very challenging phase of the project and one that we are all committed to getting right.”
The public are advised that contractors will be at the WH Shaw Pallets site this week dealing with a dangerous structure on the area of land not being acquired by the council to the rear of the site.
Surveyors advised the current landowners that part of the building is unstable and needs urgent action.
Full demolition of the building is not necessary but some parts of the upper storey – three elevations and the roof – will need to be removed.
Cllr Chadderton said: “The landowners informed us that engineers fear there could be a partial collapse within the building.”
“This work is needed to prevent any potential danger to members of the public who use the canal tow path.
“Public safety is paramount, of course, and – although this minor demolition work is totally unrelated to the Saddleworth School proposals – it is a reminder of the industrial nature of some of the existing site and its current state.”
* This is subject to confirmation of the project feasibility approval from the EFA.
Great news , let’s get on with it , we need this new school asap ..
HURRAH!!!!
At last. Let’s crack on and build the thing
‘Employment and Skills at the Diggle site today discussing plans with Matthew Milburn, Headteacher of Saddleworth School’
Why show a picture which is obviously NOT the proposed Diggle site? - this picture is taken at the Shaws pallet works.Why deceive?
There is so much spin in this article that you almost believe the planning application will be signed,sealed and submitted next week.
Interserve are working to a strict budget which they believe can deliver the ‘control option’ - 15% deviation will not change the design - you get a ‘low cost standardised solution school’.
I do not believe Mr Milburn when he states “the local community is equally important to us.” I believe Mr Milburn has just one agenda and that is to build the school in Diggle irrespective of the wishes of the Saddleworth community.
Ask one of his teachers how he is performing at the moment . . . I’m sure you will find that all is not as idyllic as OMBC and Mr Milburn would deceive you to believe.
…and the misinformation continues. Funny how they don’t show the greenfield and green belt they propose to build on, but the pallet works building that they want people to believe are being re-developed. They can’t even be honest with a picture…spin, spin and more spin!
Excellent news - Go Diggle ! I’m sure our children will not be disappointed, nor will the chippy. Buckley’s and the Uppermill sweet shops on the other hand…….. Parents, please try and not panic about the proximity of the canal too much, remember it is a secondary school not a nursery. And finally, for the majority of Diggle residents who live in 70′s 80′s 90′s estate housing you will have something modern to look on to in the valley rather than a grotty old farm and half derelict mill.
There was an interesting and balanced film report on the above subject on Saddleworth News a few days age. Its now gone!
Is it a technical or a political hitch? Surely not censorship.
Now Mr Milburn and Councillor Chadderton stand and do your posing where the school is really going to be(if it goes ahead) on green field and playing field and sports hall on greenbelt land not standing at Shaw’s Pallet Works when you know full well its not going there. very misleading dont you think?
I’ve commented on this issue once or twice, and although not directly affected by the new school I do wonder how much of a surprise it’s going to be to some people when the old pallet works is still standing after the new school has been built on the fields in front of it. Perhaps you should stop calling it Diggle Pallet Works site and taking pictures showing buildings which have nothing to do with the new school’s position.
Well we have known for months that the only site that the Education Funding Agency would accept as viable for the funding available was the Diggle site. Uppermill was not an option when they said this. We need a new school and we should now get one even if it’s not an ideal site. If the selfish people stop it now we won’t have a school at all very soon. Like it or not it’s Diggle or nothing. Some prefer nothing
Indeed.
SDAG are being wreckless by continuing to spread the rumour that Uppermill is still an option “as long as OMBC bung another £2m into the pot”. There is NO extra money and the EFA will NOT build in Uppermill.
So when SDAG knock on your door and ask you to sign their petition remember this; No School in Diggle = No School in Saddleworth.
So please don’t risk our children’s future, support the Diggle move
Happy Diggle Resident-We absolutely do need a new school but not at the devastating cost of the “PROPOSED” site.
Emma Smith-oh how naive you are this means nothing they still have a very very long way to go, not to mention they are not even standing on the actual site.
Mark Bowden-are you really sure about that, I think you will find £17million is a small amount to build a new school do some research and see what the cost was for Waterhead Academy and Blessed John Newman RC School then compare that to £17million proposed for a new school and ask yourself what quality of school and facilities will you get??
New School Needed- Do you have any proof that the Uppermill site is not viable?? if you do please share it 1000′s of people would to see it, are they going to close the school?? do you know something no parent or councillor knows, pure propaganda.
OMBC have behaved deplorably, this is pure and utter greed on OMBC’s part
I see we are moving forwards at long last . Am hoping the next couple of months will give us the plans now and can get it started .
Again I see Quotations from a member of SDAG , 2500 or so LOCAL people have signed a petition against the move !! Sorry but correct me if wrong , 1000 or so were from knocking on oeoples doors and shops etc ,kids signing openly thinking it was a big joke .1500 from e petition who may have been one of the 1000 you knocked on their door and those residing in London , Australia etc And friends of friends on Facebook I would not say are LOCAL .
Those for the school have not got involved in petitions or vocal debates as there is no need to do so .
Saddleworth needs a new school and fingers crossed we are not a million miles away from getting it .
Re ‘new school needed’
We do need and deserve a new school but not a compromise ‘low cost standardised solution’.
You are so wrong to believe it’s Diggle or nothing.The EFA continue to state that you can build on the existing site if the Council choose to - However we know that OMBC have and continue to behave deplorably - pure and utter greed is their motivator here.
We are now the custodians of a land swap deal.
I know what I would like to be remembered for: A fantastic school in the right place which champions the children not just now but in future generations as well - What would you like to be remembered for? The selfish one that sat back, believed the OMBC spin and sold Saddleworth’s children down the Diggle flood plain?
I want to know where the next school will go after the budget one with limited lifespan in Diggle is no longer fit for purpose. I can see no problem with the current site. I don’t believe the spin about extra expense of building in Uppermill the site and sports facilities are already there. The problem as far as I can see is OMBCs less than transparent deals and them trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole.
I wish we could move Saddleworth out of Oldham. I don’t know much about politics but I’m hoping there is at least one I can vote for at the next elections.
Saddleworth Voice,
So we’ve become custodians of a land swap deal, so what? It’s called economics and if OBMC failed to achieve the best financial deal for the school and the site they’d be failing their economical remit. Everybody here in Saddleworth really needs to get over their obsession with the land-swap. It’s beginning to sound like sour grapes.
And want would I like to be remembered for? I’d like to be remembered for helping to rejuvenate Diggle and guarantee that our kids get a school. Those 2,000 people (less than 10% of us) who protest at this late stage and risk the school being built atall because they have a romantic idealistic view of what our community is are the ones who’ll be remembered with distain.
Come on EFA & OMBC, get cracking and let’s move our community forward