Concerns have been raised over The King’s School’s plans to relocate to a new single site on greenbelt land.
The school has signed an agreement to buy 70 acres of farming land in next to its Derby Playing Fields on Alderley Road, Prestbury, to build the £50million pound school.
But residents have reacted with shock and anger at the news.
Coun Thelma Jackson, of Prestbury Parish Council, said: “This came as a shock to lots of people.
“People don’t want the green belt swallowed up.
“It protects the village. It would create urban sprawl and bring Macclesfield and Prestbury closer together.
“If it gets permission it opens the flood gates for development in the green belt.
“I would rather King’s stays where it is, it’s an ancient site with lots of history.
“There are also traffic problems to think about, with all those pupils coming to and from the school, it’s going to be mayhem.”
The school plans to close its sites on Cumberland Street and Fence Avenue and bring together its 1,200 pupils on the one site, by September 2020.
The new proposed site is between Fallibroome Farm and Big Wood.
Dr Simon Hyde, headteacher, has previously said that it will mean the school continues its 500-year history in Macclesfield and that the school is currently constrained by the cost of having two sites. The school claims at the new site will have low environmental impact, accessibility and scope to house a world-class facility.
They also claim it will be conveniently located for parents and enables the school to retain Derby Fields as a top-class sports facility.
Readers on the Express Facebook page have echoed the concerns.
Mark Beresford said: “If they get planning in the Green Belt there will be outrage.”
Jono McCrory posted: “Literally right next door to Fallibroome, traffic at those crossroads next to Macc Rugby Club will be a nightmare.
UPDATE: Dr Simon Hyde, headteacher, who is a former pupil of King’s and an Oxford History graduate, has now responded to the concerns.
He said: “We have commissioned Pick Everard, the architects that designed Leicester Grammar, to design our new school. The brief is for a development that is sympathetic to the landscape, set-back from the road, and that maximises the advantages of contemporary eco-friendly building techniques. Architects will also be set the challenge to incorporate elements of King’s heritage, retaining some characteristics of the current school.”
The £50 million pound development will provide-built facilities for all the school’s pupils, from Pre-School through to the Sixth Form, as well as a Sports Centre with a swimming pool, plus multiple rugby, cricket and Astroturf pitches.
Dr Hyde added: “The majority of the 70-acre site will remain ‘green’ space, with only a tiny portion – around 5% - of the land being built upon for the footprint of the school buildings. Therefore 95% of the land will remain green, much the same way as our existing Derby Fields site is already. We are keen for the new school to be set within a rural environment, surrounded by green spaces and woodland.”
“We are already custodians of three sites in the town, including rural areas and sports fields, and we have looked after these spaces for many years.
"Importantly, King’s will develop a full transport plan for the new school and its pupils, with a network of buses linked with local transport hubs. King’s hopes that the travel plan will reduce the number of pupils travelling to school by car and, at the same time, will reduce traffic within the centre of the town."
