Newham Council is poised to agree a decision that will pave the way for a much needed new primary school within the Royal Wharf development for residents of the Royal Docks.
A Officer Key Decision report to be considered on Tuesday 12 February outlines an agreement to transfer a Council owned plot of land in Silvertown’s Royal Wharf for developers Ballymore and Oxley to build a school.
The agreement is in line with a decision made at a cabinet meeting in June 2018 by Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and her Cabinet colleagues, in which authority was delegated to Council officers to conclude the transaction.
If approved by officers, the Council will receive £3.5 million up front from the developers, which is the value of the land for educational use following an independent external valuation. The developer will then build the new primary school. Once completed, they will have the option to purchase the land from the Council, who are the freeholder, for a nominal fee of two payments of £1. Presently, the Council only receives a peppercorn rent from the site, which has a lease of 170 years left to run.
Without this deal, Newham Council would need to find and purchase suitable land in the Royal Docks area to build a new school and fund the construction of the facility.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has agreed financial support for the new Royal Wharf Free School in Crescent Wharf, which will become part of The Britannia Education Trust, who currently run nearby Britannia Village Primary School.
The transaction, if approved, will result in a 450-pupil primary school with a single-form entry nursery, due to be opened in September 2019. This will help meet the projected demand for primary school places within the Royal Docks area, due to new families moving into this part of Newham. In 2019 the reception class will be accommodated at Britannia Village Primary before they move to the new school in September 2020 to be joined by the latest group of reception children.
Councillor Julianne Marriott, Cabinet member for education, said: “There is a growing need for school places in this area where families are moving into new housing developments. This deal will provide a new primary school for local people in the Royal Docks, and a payment of £3.5million to the Council.
“A new primary school with excellent educational facilities will be provided for Newham children living in the Royal Docks area, with children starting from this September.”
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said: “Developers coming to Newham know that investing in our borough is not just about housing, it’s about building community facilities that our young people and families need.
“As a Council we carefully look at the land we own to determine how we can best maximise its social value for our residents so that they can thrive with their families and contribute to our borough’s vibrant and diverse community.
“If approved by officers, this deal with Ballymore and Oxley means that they are making a social investment in our future talent through a significant financial payment so we can open a much needed school in the Royal Docks.”
John Mulryan, Group Managing Director at Ballymore, said: “Our vision for Royal Wharf has always been to create a new neighbourhood that has a real community at its core and the Royal Wharf Primary School will go a long way to achieving this.
“Many residents have chosen the development to start a family or to bring up young children and as developers we have a responsibility to ensure that a good education is easily accessible.
“We have every confidence the Britannia Education Trust will run a school that satisfies the needs of local people.”