Consultation over Notre Dame School plan

LOCAL people are being given their say over proposals to rebuild Notre Dame Catholic College in Liverpool using a radical new concept.

The city council is proposing moving the school to a site adjacent to Everton Park Lifestyles Centre on the edge of the Project Jennifer regeneration scheme.

A drop in consultation event is taking place at Everton Park Lifestyles on Wednesday 28 September from 11am-2pm and 5pm-8pm for local people to have their say.

It is part of the city council’s Investment Plan for Secondary Schools, devised as a rescue package following the scrapping of Wave Six of Liverpool’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project last year.

The plan would see Notre Dame become one of three schools in Liverpool rebuilt using a scheme never before seen in the UK or Europe called EdVenture.

Schools are built under a structure similar to a modern airport terminal building, which is far cheaper than the traditional method.

It offers more flexibility as the internal layout and even the entire use of the site can be changed in the future, and they can be built significantly cheaper than under BSF.

Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member for Education, said: “This is a very exciting proposal for Notre Dame Catholic College and we are keen to hear people’s views on it.

“It is part of our ambition to make sure that new schools are closely tied to the city’s regeneration and help build stronger communities.

“We have addressed some of the key concerns of Government around the cost of BSF by coming up with an innovative alternative way of constructing schools which gives huge flexibility at a much lower cost.”

The scheme could also provide a home for a new health and wellbeing centre and indoor market traders.

The plan is for an outline planning application to be submitted in late October with work starting next summer and completed in 2013.

Frances Harrison, Headteacher at Notre Dame Catholic College, said: “82% of our students come from within two miles of our new building’s location, signifying that this regeneration will create local facilities for local people. The building will enrich the community with a space that can grow and prosper along with the area and its inhabitants, securing a better future for our neighbourhood.

“The new school will be built with the community in mind and state of the art resources such as the heath and wellbeing centre will provide this neighbourhood with a quality facility for years to come.”

The Investment Plan for Secondary Schools includes alternative set of proposals targeted at seven other schools which are most in need.

The EdVenture schemes are:

Archbishop Beck Catholic High School relocated to Long Lane with an option of co-locating with a special school. Start date: Autumn 2012 with opening in Autumn 2013

St John Bosco Arts College on the Stonebridge Cross development with the possibility of it becoming co-educational and with an option of co-locating with a special school. Start date: Dependent upon wider Stonebridge Cross scheme

The other proposals are:

Holly Lodge Girls College to be partially rebuilt through construction of new buildings and disposing of the front half of the site. Start date: 2013 with opening in 2015

Relocating Archbishop Blanch Church of England High School and St Hilda’s Church of England High School on the Edge Lane corridor as part of the wider regeneration of the area. The Governors of St Hilda’s may also consult on becoming co-educational. Start date: Early 2013 with opening in 2015

Rebuild and co-locate St Julie’s Catholic High School with SFX (St Francis Xavier’s) College on the Beaconsfield campus with a shared sixth form. Start date: 2015 with completion in 2017

Further schemes, as part of Phase Two, could take place after 2015.

A wider consultation is already underway for schools, parents and pupils and other interested parties to give their views. 

The consultation form can be downloaded from www.liverpool.gov.uk/consultation or views can be emailed to bsf@liverpool.gov.uk  until 29 October 2011.