WALTHAMSTOW: School planned for flood plain

8:33am Saturday 12th January 2008

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A SCHOOL may be built on a flood plain, despite a previous planning application being dropped because it was too risky.

Talks between governers of Willowfield School in Clifton Avenue, Walthamstow, and the council have taken place to discuss the revival of a plan to build a new school on Douglas Eyre Playing Fields.

The green belt land, bordering Blackhorse Road, Coppermill Lane, Edward Road, and Walthamstow Reservoirs, was previously classified as a "functional floodplain" by the Environment Agency.

But it recently downgraded the risk to "high probability" and "medium probability".

Nearby residents, who objected to the original scheme, part of the the council's Building Schools for the Future programme, are horrified.

Irina Ross of Edward Road said that her street and the playing fields were calf deep in flood water at least twice last summer and she could not see the flood risk going down during an age of global warming.

Nuria Robriguez, also of Edward Road, said: "That school has to be there for over 100 years. I don't think it's responsible to build a school on an area that's high risk."

Another Edward Road resident, Michael Leigh, said he thought the plan was being revived so that the school would not take up valuable space in the Blackhorse Lane redevelopment area, which borders the playing fields.

"It's clear that all they're going to do there is massive high density buildings up to 15 storeys," he said, adding that what residents wanted was a mixed-use site with community facilities and attractive living areas.

Cabinet member for children and young people, Cllr Chris Robbins, confirmed that the development was being considered, saying that a new building for Willowfield was a priority as the current building was old and overcrowded.

He added: "No official decision has yet been made and significant investigation needs to be undertaken before a proposal can be agreed. If re-siting the school is feasible, it would not only provide a first rate environment for children to learn, but it could also help to enhance access to the Douglas Eyre Playing Fields for sports and leisure."