A PLAN to house two Jewish schools in one building was criticised by residents yesterday, forcing Liverpool’s planning committee to delay make a decision on the scheme.
Liverpool City Council and the King David Foundation want to join King David High, in Childwall, with its neighbouring primary in a £26m scheme under the Building Schools for the Future programme.
Planning officials had recommended the scheme be approved, but residents spoke at the meeting to voice their opposition.
The planning committee resolved it could not make a decision without visiting the site first.
The new “super-school” would be built on the site of King David playing fields.
A kindergarten and the Harold House community centre would also move into the hi-tech Childwall Road building.
All the current buildings, with the exception of the swimming pool, would then be demolished. The high school site would be converted into sports pitches and the primary replaced with a housing estate.
Sue Johnson, of Dunbabin Road, said: “King David do need a new senior school, but we do not need a three-storey school.
“We do not need a community centre, and we do not need the increase in traffic.
“I do hope that you will go out there and have a site meeting when the children are coming and going from the school.”
Derek Griffiths, of Beauclair Drive, said: “I feel that this is being driven by money, all the land is going to be sold off for houses.”
Education officials hope that work on the new school could start as early as next January, with both schools continuing in their current premises until the new building was ready, probably in September 2010.
After relocating, children in the high school, primary school and kindergarten would have mainly separate learning areas.
Instead of having a traditional assembly hall and dining room, a large atrium would be created, to be used throughout the day for meetings, meals and drama classes for a range of different age groups.
The school’s kitchens would follow strict kosher guidelines, meaning meat and dairy products would be prepared and served in different areas.
The three-storey complex would also include specialist Jewish studies classrooms for infants and older pupils, a small Beth David synagogue for teaching and services, and flexible classroom walls so large groups of up to 60 children could be taught at once.
