The time limit for expressions of interest in running outdoor education centres, which Wiltshire Council is closing, has been extended until May 21 – after a number of interested parties came forward.
Last month Wiltshire Council announced it would be closing the centres at Braeside (in Devizes) and Oxenwood (near Marlborough) at the end of August. The Council says the closures were necessary “after reviewing the high costs required for repairs while vital funds are needed for frontline services, including protecting vulnerable children and providing sufficient school places while ensuring high standards in schools.”
“The centres are run as a traded service and are an additional provision which is not statutory to provide.”
“However, since the decision a number of interested parties have come forward looking at future possibilities at the sites. Following the interest an agreed extension on the time for expressions of interest has been made to allow time for the proposals to be developed.”
The decision followed a review which showed a £1.4m capital investment would be required to keep the centres open.
Wiltshire Council made it clear that any capital spending would have to be repaid by the centres over ten years: “To ensure full cost recovery, prices would have to be increased by 27 per cent at Braeside and 41 per cent at Oxenwood.”
At the time the decision was announced (March 28) no work had been “undertaken to establish the conditions under which the sites were acquired, the legal implications of covenants and other potential restrictions, and the planning potential for future use or development.”
