Green Belt concerns halt Hasmo plans for second time
A contractor was ready and 50% of funding secured but it's back to the drawing board for orthodox Jewish secondary boys' and girls' school plans to study on same premises
Plans for Hasmonean boys and girls to study on the same site have hit a roadblock after strict environmental Green Belt regulations once again made them highly unlikely to succeed.
As recently reported by Jewish News, Barnet Council had granted planning permission for both secondary schools to be located on the same site at the girls’ school on Page Street in Mill Hill.
The long-awaited news had come after growing concerns that the boys’ campus was becoming over-stretched, with twice as many students as it was originally designed for. The approval by the council gave hope that both genders would now learn at the girls’ current site.
However, in a message to parents seen by Jewish News, sent from the Chair of Trustees, and CEO of the Trust comprising both schools, Hasmonean MAT, strict Green Belt planning regulations mean there is no other option but a return to the drawing board for other ideas:
“The school has continued to work very hard to find a way to accommodate all of the Year 7 Boys who wish to join the school in September 2023. We have worked with the Regional Schools’ Commissioner to agree that we could take the additional boys and were hopeful that we would be able to locate the new Year 7 on a separate area in the Girls’ school grounds.
“We identified a contractor who could provide a complete temporary classroom solution and we found approximately 50% of the funding. In addition, the school has undertaken the very complex task of creating a timetable to manage the logistics for this.
“However, despite our best efforts after several meetings with Barnet Council, and despite our proposal being supported by Councillors Peter Zinkin and Dean Cohen and one of the best local planning consultants, we have been informed that it is unlikely to succeed. This is because the Girls’ School is in Green Belt and this has the strictest planning regulations; the planners insist that we must follow these without deviation, even if we only use the land on our school site for 18 months and then put it back exactly as we found it.”
Chair of Trustees Gary Swabel and CEO of Hasmonean MAT Andrew McClusky said they “continue to work on a number of options” and remain hopeful that a solution can be found, “however we are dependent on council support on these and are awaiting their responses.”
In 2017, as reported by Jewish News, London Mayor Sadiq Khan overturned Barnet council’s decision to grant planning permission.
In a letter to the council seen by the Jewish News, he wrote: “Whilst I recognise the importance of meeting educational need, in my view the proposed footprint of the school, and the extent of development on Green Belt land and open space, is excessive. On balance, I consider that the potential harm to the Green Belt would not be outweighed.”
At the time, he also said there were a lack of “sustainable transport measures” to support the plans.
The schools say they will continue to try to find a workable solution for the families on the waiting list.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
