Impact on Marple of the College Closing

[JMC]

I am not sure if Marple Hall would have a sixth form. They already have gained many students from the closure of Offerton and the catchment has been extended to cover Offerton. When it used to have a sixth form, the Ridge was also a secondary so I don't think there would have been so many pupils as now. It is already a very big school.

[amazon]

Contrary to opinion on this forum I think that the closure of the college could have a neutral/positive impact on Marple as long as it was managed in a controlled manner. Unlike other members of this forum I will now support this view point as one does in a DEBATE.

EDUCATION,
Currently all schools and colleges are having to cope with a decline in students because of the falling birth rate between 1992 - 2006, if CAMSFC closed then Marple Hall school (MHS) would probably open up a 6th Form. They would probably need to go for Academy status as that is the only way you can get funding for expansion these days. 6th Forms have already been established at New Mills & Poynton and very soon at Hazel Grove. Granted the subjects offerred would be a lot narrower than CAMSFC and they would probably find themselves concentrating on core mainstream subjects (History, English, Art, Geography etc.) and only offerring A levels. Those students who wanted BTEC level courses would probably have to travel to Stockport or Manchester College, and MHS would probably only be able to cater for students who were already attending the school. Students who currently travel from Derbyshire could easily manage to travel to Stockport or Buxton.

LAND
The college's sites on Buxton Lane & Hibbert lane would be sold for housing. However because of the size of the developments these, by law, would have to be a mix that would include Social Housing and Affordable Housing, both of which Marple is desperately short of. These new houses would increase the amount of daily traffic but probably not any more, and maybe less, than the proposed ASDA/Walmart Store.

Local Economy
Closure of the college would result in a reduction in jobs for some local people, however the 6th Form at MHS would need some extra staff, but there still would be an overall reduction. However the increase in population caused by the new houses would bring in more money into the local businesses, who would need to take on extra staff. So the negative impact on jobs of the college closing would probably be less/the same as the impact of a ASDA/Walmart being built.


I know a lot of you will not agree with these views but please if you think my assumptions are flawed at least try and explain why you think that.

Excellent post it's a bit like swings and roundabouts .

[Duke Fame]

It's no doubt a ruse go get public opinion on side. The impact on Marple? Well the pubs will not to so much lunchtime trade & sandwich shops will suffer a bit.

As for the kids, well if they have to go to Manchester for FE it will broaden the mind a little and no problem.

[wheels]

But it does not matter if your assumptions are flawed or not your asking us to discuss something that's not going to happen so I am not sure why you cant to keep pushing this.

[Victor M]

Contrary to opinion on this forum I think that the closure of the college could have a neutral/positive impact on Marple as long as it was managed in a controlled manner. Unlike other members of this forum I will now support this view point as one does in a DEBATE.

EDUCATION,
Currently all schools and colleges are having to cope with a decline in students because of the falling birth rate between 1992 - 2006, if CAMSFC closed then Marple Hall school (MHS) would probably open up a 6th Form. They would probably need to go for Academy status as that is the only way you can get funding for expansion these days. 6th Forms have already been established at New Mills & Poynton and very soon at Hazel Grove. Granted the subjects offerred would be a lot narrower than CAMSFC and they would probably find themselves concentrating on core mainstream subjects (History, English, Art, Geography etc.) and only offerring A levels. Those students who wanted BTEC level courses would probably have to travel to Stockport or Manchester College, and MHS would probably only be able to cater for students who were already attending the school. Students who currently travel from Derbyshire could easily manage to travel to Stockport or Buxton.

LAND
The college's sites on Buxton Lane & Hibbert lane would be sold for housing. However because of the size of the developments these, by law, would have to be a mix that would include Social Housing and Affordable Housing, both of which Marple is desperately short of. These new houses would increase the amount of daily traffic but probably not any more, and maybe less, than the proposed ASDA/Walmart Store.

Local Economy
Closure of the college would result in a reduction in jobs for some local people, however the 6th Form at MHS would need some extra staff, but there still would be an overall reduction. However the increase in population caused by the new houses would bring in more money into the local businesses, who would need to take on extra staff. So the negative impact on jobs of the college closing would probably be less/the same as the impact of a ASDA/Walmart being built.


I know a lot of you will not agree with these views but please if you think my assumptions are flawed at least try and explain why you think that.

[Dave]

Good news, wheels!    The other thing to add to Simone's point is that it's a completely hypothetical question - it is so unlikely that it's not worth talking about. (Although I must admit that if all discussion of hypothetical questions were deleted from this forum, there wouldn't be much left on it 

[wheels]

Its OK I have just got back from a ride round Erwood Reservoir so my blood pressure is well down.

[simonesaffron]

I really don't know why this is running as a thread

So far I must say I'm very disappointed in how the majority of contributors have responded to this thread. On my original post I wrote

What do forum members think the impact of the college closing would be on Marple?

Which no one yet has addressed apart from JMC. I'll await your responses and hopefully a constructive debate might ensue.

Victor, with respect old chap we have addressed tne question.if the College closed it would have a negative impact on sustaining some of the businesses in Marple. In addition to that we wouldn't see hundreds of young students about the town. What more do you want we can't keep stating and restating the obvious. We're boring but we're not that boring apart from that we'll have Wheels's blood pressure through the roof. 

[Victor M]

I really don't know why this is running as a thread

So far I must say I'm very disappointed in how the majority of contributors have responded to this thread. On my original post I wrote

What do forum members think the impact of the college closing would be on Marple?

Which no one yet has addressed apart from JMC. I'll await your responses and hopefully a constructive debate might ensue.

[wheels]

I really don't know why this is running as a thread and why folks are bothering even to discuss it. First of all the college services not only Marple but also Widely, Breadbury, Offerton, Rommel, parts of Derbyshire and elsewhere. This college is not just for Marple teenagers but for this whole of this side of the town so looking at Marple alone is not what we are about here and that in itself makes the college in Marple much more secure. Further of the two campuses it has by far the greater number of students and is the most viable part of the who institution.

As an aside it (6th form college) a far superiorform of 16-18 education than schools based 6th forms can ever be which was thankfully recognised by Stockport many years ago.

[Dave]

I feel this is just another way to try to persuade the planners to let this through. 

Me too.  As for Simone's question, the decision makers, AFAIK, are the council's planning committee, but they can be overruled by the Planning Inspectorate if it goes to appeal. 

I agree with much of what Simone writes.  I would just add that the likelihood of there ever being no 16 - 19 educational provision in a town with a population of 23,500 is vanishingly small - if it became a serious risk, I think the EFA and the SMBC Education Service would have to find a solution.  Of course, if Marple Hall became an academy, it could start a sixth form.  But I don't think there is any intention to do that at present, and if they did, it would need serious capital to raise the money to build, and I don't know where that would come from.  Unless they could sell off some land to, er, a supermarket...........   

[Maria]

Mr Hubert for the college has previously confirmed to me personally that if planning permission is not granted the college will revisit it's proposed revamp and look at the books again.  He confirmed the college had no intention of leaving Marple and I feel this is just another way to try to persuade the planners to let this through.  Mr Hubert confirmed this was simply the quickest and easiest way for the college to do what it wants to do.  Ms Cassidy also confirmed the same to me at the 'consultation'.

[simonesaffron]

We are being dogmatic without foundation if we say that the College would never leave Marple. I agree that it is highly unlikely but we can never say never. If the College did leave town then the implications for some businesses would be very noticeably negative.

There is no doubt in my mind that if the Asda does not happen then the College will have to review its presence in Marple. This is the double conundrum that the decision makers face, No ASDA, no new College. If the Asda fell through then the College (in my opinion) would probably still try to sell the land at Hibbert Lane and finance a "cut your cloth" new College. The question then becomes:  who would buy Hibbert Lane other than a supermarket ? It has been marked by SMBC for housing but housing developers are thin on the ground at the minute. Many of them have gone out of business, those that haven't can't borrow any money and if you can overcome all that, when you build the houses, nobody can get any money to buy them.

Asda have a large expansion programme currently. They will almost certainly have bought Hibbert Lane ..." subject to planning"... they will have many other sites in project and if they get a hard time from SMBC in particular they might just focus on somewhere that will not give them a hard time and leave town. The decision makers at SMBC will be aware of all this and as such the ASDA/C&MSFC project cannot be separated.

It is also worthy of mention to recall...that SMBC can reject the ASDA/C&MSFC planning application because it is against their own planning policy. But that doesn't mean they will or that they would now want to. For it now seems to me that a refusal of the planning application presents a very messy situation for all concerned, and if I can see it then so can SMBC 

In fact who are SMBC in relation to this...who are ACTUALLY the decision makers?

[Iona]

I understood that Marple Hall was considering a sixth form but others may know more about this.

[JMC]

I have heard this too but not officially. I worry that if the college closes local children will struggle to find college places and have to travel further distances. But I would worry about the effect on local businesses too if there is an ASDA because wouldn't some students get their lunch there rather than walk on to Gregs etc. Either way there are risks and losers. But Marple cannot stay the same forever, everything changes.