Somerset County Council has said this week it has “no current plans to build a new school in Highbridge” despite previous plans for one to offset the building of hundreds of new homes around the town.
New housing developments are underway at Brue Farm (pictured), plus next to Isleport Lane, and in Walrow which will lead to a local population increase over the next couple of years.
The County Council previously said in 2018 that a new school is earmarked for the Brue Farm development but it says there are no timescales for it to proceed.
A Somerset County Council spokesperson told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week: “There are no current plans for a new school in Highbridge.”
“Pupil forecasts indicate that there are sufficient school places available across Burnham and Highbridge for the forseeable future.”
“The Local Authority is keeping a very close eye on pupil numbers here, especially with the large number of dwellings expected to be built over the coming years.”
The spokesman adds: “Additional places will be commissioned in Burnham and Highbridge as soon as pupil forecasts indicate that they are needed.”
“Somerset County Council procures land when large new developments are planned, so it can be ready for a potential newbuild to accommodate a rising local population, but that is no guarantee of a school build happening.”
Residents in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge have raised concerns about local public services such as schools, doctors, dentists and even sewerage facilities being put under extra strain from the growing population in the future.
