By Maria Zaccaro, Local Democracy Reporter

A local school is urging the council to take action because it says a major housing scheme is causing a drop in pupil numbers.

 

Governors at Townhill Infant School said its intake has fallen by 35 children this year, affecting year R classes.

The pace at which families are being moved out of their flats as part of the Townhill Park regeneration scheme has been blamed for the drop.

Governors said too many buildings have been emptied but not enough new flats have been built in the area.

Blocks of flats in Townhill Park are being demolished to make way for 665 new homes and a new public green space. The school is now urging Southampton City Council to step in.

Governors claim they were not consulted on the scheme and were not told what impact it would have on the school.

Steve Gibbs, one of the governors, said: “Our main worry is that they knock all the houses down and they won’t build them for another ten years.”

At a meeting held last week Cllr Satvir Kaur, cabinet member for homes, said the education team at the council will be working with the school to determine how much the reduction in pupils is due to the regeneration scheme.

She also acknowledged that communication with residents needs to be improved.

In a statement the council said that the redevelopment of Townhill Park is a major component in its commitment to providing more affordable council homes in Southampton. It said “community engagement has and will continue to be a key to the project’s success” and added that it had worked closely with SO18 Big Local residents’ group and “welcomed opportunities to involve local schools in our conversations”.

Townhill Infant School governors Jo Proctor, Claire Hoper and Steve Gibbs