On line & on paper "so that we could really gauge what people think"

Councillors from Putney’s Thamesfield Ward have launched their own special survey to find out what residents want to see at the disused Putney Hospital site by the Common.

Wandsworth Council wants to use the site for a new 420-pupil primary school to meet growing demand for school places in the area. But the plan has caused some controversy, with some residents claiming the development (which would also include residential flats, to help meet the cost of the school) is too big, and that it would also add to local traffic congestion.

Councillor Jim Maddan, who is conducting the survey along with colleagues Councillor Rosemary Torrington and Councillor Mike Ryder, said:
“We have already listened carefully to what residents have told us so far. We did, for instance, appreciate their concerns about traffic and we urged the council to commission a full-scale traffic impact survey, which has now been done.

He continued:
“The council has sent out its own letters to residents, asking for their views on the planning proposal for the school. But we wanted to do our own research, over a wider area, so that we could really gauge what people think. We are asking them, for instance, what they think about the idea of a rooftop play space, and what they think about the proposed school having a Special Educational Needs unit. We have personally delivered thousands of letters in the area, asking people to fill in a survey and send it back to us, or to give us their views on-line.”

Go to the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s/2DB9RY2

August 3, 2012