New Wick High School - Site debate (merged threads)

**WickLad08** · 12-Jun-10, 00:56

We need to get together and stop the Highland Council from destroying one of our most beautiful areas of the town, Bignold Park and turning it into the site for the new High School.

WE MUST SAY NO!!!!!!

Online petition link coming soon.

Please all keep an aye out for it and sign.

Thank you

**Sara Jevo** · 12-Jun-10, 07:30

If they use a bit of the park for the new school, couldn't you turn the site of the existing school into an area of park to offset the loss?

**Gronnuck** · 12-Jun-10, 08:48

Would you rather they build the new school piecemeal on the site of the old school and disrupt the education of the children for the next three or four years?

It would be cheaper and less disruptive to build new so the children are only disturbed when they move from one building to the other.

**Amy-Winehouse** · 12-Jun-10, 08:50

Originally Posted by WickLad08

We need to get together and stop the Highland Council from destroying one of our most beautiful areas of the town, Bignold Park and turning it into the site for the new High School.

WE MUST SAY NO!!!!!!

Online petition link coming soon.

Please all keep an aye out for it and sign.

Thank you

Is that coz you live across the road from it ? And which part of that park is beautiful??? Bleak is a better word to describe the Bignold park .

I agree it would be a shame for the kids if they moved their football & rugby pitches elsewhere but that would probably happen if they do build a school on that site.

**Tubthumper** · 12-Jun-10, 09:10

Originally Posted by WickLad08

We need to get together and stop the Highland Council from destroying one of our most beautiful areas of the town, Bignold Park and turning it into the site for the new High School.
WE MUST SAY NO!!!!!!
Online petition link coming soon.
Please all keep an aye out for it and sign.
Thank you

Will that be a NO TO ANY KIND OF CHANGE IN WICK petition then? Just remind me, how long did it take to get the Wick all-weather footie pitch (the last gasp of the dying Caithness District Council) built because of all the arguing?
I reckon it will be backed up by a 'No to a brand new school, swimming pool and library' petition as well, closely followed by a 'Highland Council don't care about us boo-hoo'.
I'm watching with interest

**WICKER10** · 12-Jun-10, 09:36

Originally Posted by WickLad08

We need to get together and stop the Highland Council from destroying one of our most beautiful areas of the town, Bignold Park and turning it into the site for the new High School.

WE MUST SAY NO!!!!!!

Online petition link coming soon.

Please all keep an aye out for it and sign.

Thank you

Would it Not be better to wait and see what the Council plans are before starting this petition.
I am told all the plans etc are to be on display on the 28 June in the Assembly Rooms.

**Neil Howie** · 15-Jun-10, 22:19

Please all keep an aye out for it and sign.

The closer a school to you the better methinks,

**Venture** · 16-Jun-10, 10:14

Keep your eyes open - I'm sure there may well be those amongst us who will answer "Aye" to the question - Let's Stop Highland Council Building a School on Bignold Park.

**_Ju_** · 16-Jun-10, 10:27

Originally Posted by Sara Jevo

If they use a bit of the park for the new school, couldn't you turn the site of the existing school into an area of park to offset the loss?

The cost involved in returning built grounds into parkland is too much. The old highschool will never become a park.
They have the space out the back to build part of the new school and the possibility to use that space while they recover the historical building.
Barring that, if you are going to build from scratch, build it outside of the town, so that walking into town for the chippy just isn't worthwhile (and if you do, you get a bit of excercise!). Also less problems with school traffic. The chippies might complain, though.

**lynne duncan** · 16-Jun-10, 10:29

i'm voting for the school to be in the bignold if the council could provide another area to be used for recreational purposes ie knock down the redundant buildings at the high school and use the space for parking and changing room facilites,
leave the nold where it is, however the state of the nold is deteriorating and is there money to replace the equipment in the councils budget

or why don't they buy 2 fields out beside tescos and build there and that would leave the bignold alone

**Murdina Bug** · 16-Jun-10, 10:41

I'm opposed to building on the Bignold Park as I think it is just not big enough for all that is proposed. Go to google maps and take a look at the available space. If you put in all the buildings, plus a community area of swimming pool and possibly library - plus outdoor pitches then it's going to be pretty cramped. Hemmed in on all sides as well.

On principle I object to any 'consultation' which gives you a choice of build on existing site or build on Bignold Park. Hardly thinking outside the box is it? What about a purchase of that huge field on the right as you go up Newton Hill (again refer google maps!). Would a new school/community facility requirement not satisfy the need for compulsory purchase of a field?

**achingale** · 16-Jun-10, 11:01

The best way forward would be to send letters to parents and ask them about a new site. Maybe a few suggestions from them would give food for thought. It would be a shame to lose the park.

**Venture** · 16-Jun-10, 11:12

HRC have already looked at the possibility of other sites but according to them there are none. Apparently the only two sites available, both owned by HRC, are the Bignold and the playing fields at the back of the school. There is no way they will put out money to buy a new site.

**upolian** · 16-Jun-10, 11:18

Why would anybody be against this? Infact

Im not arguing.

**WICKER10** · 16-Jun-10, 11:21

What about a purchase of that huge field on the right as you go up Newton Hill (again refer google maps!). Would a new school/community facility requirement not satisfy the need for compulsory purchase of a field?[/quote]
There are Parks on both sides of Newton Road that could be Looked at.
The Park Behind the North school is Also Big enough.
The Council should be looking at the Bigger Picture and think about the Primary schools also as i believe some of them are going to require Major Work on the Buildings within the next few years.
Why Not look at the ground where the primary school joins onto the High school Park .

**Amy-Winehouse** · 16-Jun-10, 14:57

Build it on the Wick side, behind the North School . The kids have had to walk over to the dark side for over 100 years- time for a change

**Scunner** · 16-Jun-10, 15:16

Originally Posted by achingale

The best way forward would be to send letters to parents and ask them about a new site. Maybe a few suggestions from them would give food for thought. It would be a shame to lose the park.

By the time that the school is built, the bairns will propably have left.

**scorrie** · 16-Jun-10, 16:13

Originally Posted by lynne duncan

i'm voting for the school to be in the bignold if the council could provide another area to be used for recreational purposes ie knock down the redundant buildings at the high school and use the space for parking and changing room facilites,

No danger whatever of that happening.

If the new school DOES get built at the Bignold Park, the old school/site will be sold to the highest bidder and the Highland Council will (I would imagine) trouser the cash. I wonder if anyone knows whether HRC will guarantee to plough any money raised from the sale of the old school/site solely into the town of Wick, should that scenario transpire?

**scorrie** · 16-Jun-10, 16:17

Originally Posted by Amy-Winehouse

And which part of that park is beautiful??? Bleak is a better word to describe the Bignold park .

Try living in an inner city with no green in sight and you realise that any stretch of grass is an oasis. All it takes is a football, a picnic blanket and/or an imagination to provide respite from the concrete jungle. We have very little of such in this town so why let it be pissed away?