'Exciting' campus could spell closure for Broadwater Farm centre (From Haringey Independent)

'Exciting' campus could spell closure for Broadwater Farm centre

8:00am Thursday 26th March 2009 in Education By Elizabeth Pears

WHAT Haringey Council is touting as "exciting" plans to regenerate Broadwater Farm is being regarded with scepticism from critics who fear it spells closure for a loved community centre.

Last month, the council launched a consultation on an "inclusive" learning campus, set to open in 2012, which would bring together Broadwater Farm Primary School, two of the borough’s special schools — Moselle and William C Harvey — and a children’s centre.

The campus, funded by the Government, would include the latest technology and facilities enriching the learning experience for the young people, the council has boasted.

Councillor Matt Cooke, cabinet member for community cohesion and involvement, said: "This is an exciting time for Broadwater Farm.

"With careful planning this campus could become an important and vibrant new resource which benefits the school and the community as a whole."

But the proposals could also mean the closure of Broadwater Farm Community Centre, in Adams Road, which is next to Lordship Rec, and running current services from the campus when it opens.

The centre, set up in 1992, is a defining feature of the area’s character and plays a key role in Lordship Rec’s regeneration scheme, concerned residents have said.

Dave Morris, chairman of Lordship Rec Users Forum, said: "There are facilities at the centre that would be lost if it was to be placed in the middle of a school campus. Those that have invested in the centre must be allowed to continue to flourish."

The centre, one of the largest in the borough is currently used for a community kitchen, a food co-op and a successful football team as well as other groups.

But currently costs the council £300,000 to run and is currently in need of major investment for repair work.

Centre user Martin Burrows, programme director of the Back To Earth project, said: "It is a loopy idea.

"As a school governor I know that schools and community centres don’t always work because of child protection issues. You can’t have members of the public wandering into schools, so I’m not sure how the council will work.

"We can only hope that during the consultation residents will be clear that they do not want the centre to be closed. Whether the council will listen is another matter."

The consultation ends on Monday, April 20.