The Fence – Position Statement by Tattenhall & District Parish Council

As we reported in the 'Parish Council November Update', the Parish Council stated that it would place it's collective response regarding the erection of the perimeter fence at The Tattenhall Park Primary School in the public domain.

The Parish Council has now published a 'Position Statement' on the PC Website and this can be viewed, together with the three Appendices, by CLICKING HERE.

As has been reported previously, whilst some parents naturally support the erection of the perimeter fence, the issue which is again emphasised within this 'Position Statement' is the inadequacy of the 'process'; a process in which nothing more than the colour, style and possible out-of-school hours accessibility/management were retrospectively placed before the wider community (we await clarification regarding the latter).

It is this lack of adequate 'process' which has been divisive within our wider community.

Why – because (in total) over 1.73 hectares of public open/amenity space is to be fenced to create a 'secure' play area for children of the school.

It seems reasonable to suggest that the school has failed in judging the wider community reaction to this substantial loss of open/amenity space within the nucleus of the Parish. There also appears to be scant recognition of this fact in school documentation and/or on the school website.

It is fact that Tattenhall is already considerably under-provided in the following four areas: CLICK HERE to view Chester District Local Plan – Policies Saved After 29 January 2015.

• Casual Informal play space i.e. areas for informal play
• Outdoor sport space i.e. areas including pitches, greens, courts etc. (note, the Flacca is not public space)
• Amenity space i.e. areas of open land which contribute to the overall character and enjoyment of the area in a passive sense
• Children's play area i.e. play areas with play equipment (ironic, noting the completion of the fantastic new Playground Area)

Might it seem plausible to presume that the fencing of over 1.73 hectares of public open/amenity space in the creation of a 'secure' play area has actually resulted in CWaC contravening part of the 'made' Local Plan.