Berkeley Homes has withdrawn their current planning applications for Effingham Lodge Farm (see post of 16 March for details of applications). They have also announced that they will not be building a new Howard School claiming that “rising economic and regulatory pressures mean that our plans to deliver this scheme are no longer financially viable”.
EFFRA understands they are instead looking at using the Effingham Lodge Farm site solely for residential homes using a change in planning law where the land can be claimed to be “grey belt”.
Howard of Effingham School informed parents and carers about this decision and say they “are now pursuing alternative plans to make our school buildings and wider site the best they can be. THPT, the Trust responsible for our school, has already agreed to plan refurbishment of our buildings which will likely begin over the summer. The Trust will also seek to secure alternative funding for more extensive works on the school site, and put in place a comprehensive plan for redevelopment, refurbishment, and upgrades over an extended period of time”.
EFFRA intends to publish a joint press release with Effingham Parish Council about this in the next few days.