The primary schools crisis in Hove should be solved by returning the Connaught Centre to its original use as a school, campaigners are urging.
The pressure group SaveHOVE is launching its first big campaign since it opposed the King Alfred development.
It says instead of building a new school at either the Hove Park Depot or Hove Park School’s upper site, Brighton and Hove City Council should instead buy the Grade II listed Connaught Centre in Connaught Road from City College.
The college is planning on closing the centre, now used for adult education, in September.
It has launched an e-petition here, and is also asking people to sign a hard-copy version. It will use these to argue its case with the council’s cabinet member for children and young people, Vanessa Brown, at a cabinet meeting on July 12.
The petition states: “Connaught School is in a safe side street, away from main roads, and very close to Hove Library. This very large school building is needed NOW to provide infant school places for children currently forced to travel long distances to schools out of the area they live in.”
The council is planning to build a new school after an unprecedented surge the number of school-aged children in the city.
This year, it was forced to create an ad hoc new infants school in Portslade after receiving dozens more applications than it had places.
The council had already expressed an interest in using the site, which has a covenant stating it should be used for educational purposes, in November 2008.
However, the building did not make its shortlist of two, announced last month.
There seems to be an issue with the with the e-petition. When you click agree it returns an ERROR message.
Please don’t let this put you off. Still register and if you have problems, I was advised to email emma.shotton@brighton-hove.gov.uk