Brethren school plans are given a second chance

The Ermine Education Trust had a previous application for a Plymouth Brethren school at the Simply Oak site on Potton Road turned down in February.

The updated application will now be discussed at the Central Beds Council’s development management committee on June 19.

The original application was rejected on the grounds that it is in an unsustainable location, but the trust has now provided further details about transport and travel plans which have been welcomed by both the council’s highway officer and transport sustainablity officer.

The travelplan includes an objective for 85 per cent of children to arrive at school by minibus, which would reduce traffic to the site.

The school, if approved, will merge two existing schools and will teach 160 seven to 18-year-olds whilst employing 28 members of full and part time staff.

The council’s pre-meeting report states that the proposed school would infill a catchment area between the Dunstable and Cambridge sites, which are currently the nearest Plymouth Brethren schools.