Fighting Dirty

[Harry]

ASDA/WALMART's PR consultants have taken the line that their best chance of obtaining planning permission is by spinning the story that the college could close. They have already sent a letter to all Councillors that lied about the facts!

Victor,

What did the letter sent to all Councillors say?

[wheels]

No I am not saying that but I don't think a campaign can be run along the lines that if ASDA comes the town centre will die because I am not sure that the loss of many of our traders would be a loss at all.

[Victor M]

Well perhaps they could, what would then suggest happens to the Hibbert Lane site? It seems to be still available for development if what you suggest were to happen. I think you have to accept that for me and many others many of the shops in Marple are just not worth saving as they provide an over priced product, dreadful customer service and open when they feel like it not when the majority of working people need them to be open.

There are a lot of other people who do use the shops in Marple, are you saying that because you don't use them they should all go. I don't use Tesco but I don't use that as a reason for closing them down. The land would have to go for housing. Because of it's size some of that would be affordable housing. Do you not think that Marple needs affordable housing?

[wheels]

Well perhaps they could, what would then suggest happens to the Hibbert Lane site? It seems to be still available for development if what you suggest were to happen. I think you have to accept that for me and many others many of the shops in Marple are just not worth saving as they provide an over priced product, dreadful customer service and open when they feel like it not when the majority of working people need them to be open.

[Victor M]

Yes, the college could struggle on for a few years yet, pouring ever-increasing amounts of taxpayers' money into maintaining its unsuitable and inefficient old buildings - money which could and should be spent on teaching our kids and grandkids.   But this can't continue indefinitely - sooner or later something will have to be done, otherwise the college simply won't be able to afford to carry on.  So why not now?

They could also look at selling vacant land they own at the Cheadle site, and using the proceeds of that sale to revamp Buxton Lane. Please remember that Cheadle, for all the money thrown at it is seeing numbers fall, and if they continue the viability of the Cheadle site must be under review.

[Dave]

No where have I seen any evidence that the College could not continue without the ADSA/Walmart development.

Yes, the college could struggle on for a few years yet, pouring ever-increasing amounts of taxpayers' money into maintaining its unsuitable and inefficient old buildings - money which could and should be spent on teaching our kids and grandkids.   But this can't continue indefinitely - sooner or later something will have to be done, otherwise the college simply won't be able to afford to carry on.  So why not now?

[JMC]

Victor, we don't need to transfer anybody nor anything to MHS. Marple Hall School is a perfectly good Secondary School and C&MSFC is a perfectly good College. Let's leave them both as they are. Neither do I want  MHS to apply for Academy status. I'm not convinced that schools that are independent of local authority management/support are in the best interests of either the children or the Teachers. What happens when a school burns down who steps in then, or what happens when a Headteacher or a bursar runs off with the school budget?

Victor, many of us don't want C&MSFC to leave town, we want to keep it here and if that means ASDA and a bit more traffic and a few closed businesses, then regrettable but unavoidable. For you keeping ASDA out is the issue, and I respect that but for me keeping the College in Marple is probably the issue.  I think that I've probably just realised that and from many of the conversations I've been having lately, there's a lot of people that feel the same.           

Great post.

[Victor M]

Simonesaffron,
I don't think the two issues are linked, we can still have a College without an ASDA/WALMART. It is ASDA that has decided to link the two as a means of trying to blackmail the people of Marple. No where have I seen any evidence that the College could not continue without the ADSA/Walmart development.

[simonesaffron]

Victor, we don't need to transfer anybody nor anything to MHS. Marple Hall School is a perfectly good Secondary School and C&MSFC is a perfectly good College. Let's leave them both as they are. Neither do I want  MHS to apply for Academy status. I'm not convinced that schools that are independent of local authority management/support are in the best interests of either the children or the Teachers. What happens when a school burns down who steps in then, or what happens when a Headteacher or a bursar runs off with the school budget?

Victor, many of us don't want C&MSFC to leave town, we want to keep it here and if that means ASDA and a bit more traffic and a few closed businesses, then regrettable but unavoidable. For you keeping ASDA out is the issue, and I respect that but for me keeping the College in Marple is probably the issue.  I think that I've probably just realised that and from many of the conversations I've been having lately, there's a lot of people that feel the same.           

[JMC]

I don't think it is as simple as MHS could just 'have a 6th form'. It is already huge and has an increased catchment area now due to the closure of Offerton.

[Dave]

That's interesting, Victor. What did the letter to councillors say, exactly?

[Victor M]

I started a thread in July on this forum entitled "What would the effect be on Marple if the college closed. Nearly everyone's view was that there was very little likelyhood of this happening. My view was

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.

ASDA/WALMART's PR consultants have taken the line that their best chance of obtaining planning permission is by spinning the story that the college could close. They have already sent a letter to all Councillors that lied about the facts! They will continue this line if they think it will help them gain public sympathy. These people are ruthless, please look at the facts and not the spin put out by them.

[simonesaffron]

The status quo is absolutely not going to remain we need to accept that, particularly you Victor.

We're either going to have an ASDA and a new College in Marple or a new supermarket in Chadwick Street and no Asda and no new College or perhaps all three. There are some good shops in Marple but there are also some that are not so good either and I for one don't go in them and wouldn't really miss them.

Cyberman what will happen to local businesses if the College leaves town ? You only have to go into Marple any weekday- lunchtime and you can see all the students there. They are keeping some businesses in business. It doesn't have to be the best College in in England and it isn't, but it is our College and as Dave says we should support it.

What will happen to the Hibbert Lane site if Asda don't develop it ...Housing ? Is that any better than an Asda, maybe nothing. Housing developers are not easy to find in these straightened financial times and when you can find them they can't get the money from the banks. Maybe the site would fall to dereliction and vandal...maybe travellers! There's more footfall for local Marple businessess, Travellers marauding around Marple...looking for things to buy.

Cyberman, who are these non-resident Councillors you mention? Perhaps you could post the address of one of them. As far as I know; Alexander lives behind the Crown Pub, Bispham lives across from the Windsor Castle, Candler lives on Turncliffe, Dowling lives on Station Road, Ingham lives at the back of the Mill and Wright lives near the allotments, all in Marple...so who actually is non-resident in your view ? Do you expect them all to live on Hibbert Lane within site of the College?

There will be more traffic if Asda comes to town and that's a bad thing but so would there be with housing. Maybe more traffic is a price we have to pay for keeping the College.     

       

[Dave]

[if they were excellent results then they would be up there with Aquinas and other Manchester college's. They aren't

But they are.  Camsfc has

The highest value added score in Stockport

Having said that, all these statistics are are largely irrelevant.  Camsfc is the only college in town, and we all need to rally round, get behind it, and make sure that in the future it is able to provide the best possible facilities for our children and grandchildren.

[Victor M]

The results do indeed speak for themselves:

At a recent  meeting with parents the Marple results were provided for those in attendance

At A level a 99.6% pass rate with 43.9% of students getting grade A or B
Level 3 Vocational pass rate of 100%
Level 2 Vocational pass rate of 100%
The highest value added score in Stockport

Give the staff and students the facilities that they deserve and who knows what could be achieved.

Just shows what you can do with statistics! Results shown in this manner show absolutely nothing, if they were excellent results then they would be up there with Aquinas and other Manchester college's. They aren't, Aquinas has been producing results that put them in the top 100 for over a decade, until recently without any new modern facilities.
CAMSFC are trying to hide their performance behind the excuse of having 1930's buildings. In truth they have neglected the buildings on the Marple campus in favour of Cheadle, there is land at Cheadle that the college could sell for housing to raise revenue. Why have they not done that!