A community engagement event for a new educational facility to support secondary aged students and their families will be held on Monday 22 July 2024 from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.
Hosted at the former Duke Youth Centre, Park Road, St Mary Cray, Bromley, BR5 4AS, residents are invited to drop in, no booking required, to learn more about the proposals and plans for this building and services therein.
Councillor Kate Lymer, Executive Councillor for Children, Education, and Families said, “This is an exciting opportunity for local people and interested parents to learn more about plans for new accommodation for two important services that deliver support for Bromley school children and young people. We are keen to hear from interested residents ahead of beginning the planning application process later in the summer, so be sure to stop by if you want to learn more about how we can make better use of this vacant site.”
Operating as a shared facility, this new building will house Bromley’s existing Personal Education Service and Bromley Trust Academy’s Blenheim provision, providing a welcoming educational environment for children who due to their mental health needs require either an alternative education placement or support to reintegrate back into a mainstream school.
The children who currently attend these services have found it difficult to attend school for a variety of reasons including personal trauma and mental health issues. Both services provide an individually focused education that allows these children and young people to be included and fulfil their educational potential. The new building will support these services to continue providing education for pupils outside of mainstream education across Bromley, allowing them to feel comfortable to study in a new building designed specifically for them.
This new building with modern facilities and built to modern standards, is proposed to be constructed on the existing footprint of the 1970s Duke Youth Centre building, which is no longer fit for purpose and expected to be demolished as part of these plans. The new L-shaped building has been sensitively designed with soft planting and enhanced external spaces in better keeping with its location adjacent to St Mary Cray Primary School and St Mary Cray Recreation Ground.
Plans for the new building and artist impression images will be available to view at the event, with Bromley Education Officers and their consultants in attendance to explain and talk through the plans with interested people. This is ahead of the planning application consultation, expected later in the summer, where all will be able to provide their feedback formally.
If you have any questions about attending this event, you can contact: school.organisation@bromley.gov.uk.
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For media enquiries, please contact Liam Scoble, Public Affairs Officer, on 020 8313 4688 or Liam.Scoble@bromley.gov.uk.