Plans for a new special educational needs school have hit a stumbling block as campaigners want to protect the land from development.
Kent County Council (KCC) hopes to build the 120-place educational centre within Whitstable’s Church Street Playing Field.
But residents are petitioning the same authority to grant the tree-lined 5.2-hectare park ‘village green status’ which, in effect, would prevent building on the land.
The Friends of Church Street Playing Field group has revealed it is preparing to fight KCC through the courts - complete with crowdfunding - to prevent Whitstable Free School from going ahead on that site.
Yet Dr Sarah Lieberman stresses she and fellow campaigners are not exercising NIMBY-ism, nor do members “hate SEN children”, but believes there are more suitable spaces.
“There’s obviously a dire need for SEN provisions in Kent, so there’s no way we would want to block that, but there are other places the school could be built,” she said.
“KCC have been selling off as much spare land as they can and some of that could have been used for an SEN school.
“We’re not NIMBYs, we don’t hate SEN children, but my main driver is the amount of money that KCC is making selling off their brownfield sites for housing.”
Dr Lieberman, who has lived in the area for 17 years, says the space is a cherished amenity used by rugby and cricket clubs and fitness groups.
She added: “KCC has handed this recreation resource to the Department for Education (DfE) without fully considering the local community and its usage of the playing fields.
“We know that other sites exist, and more previously existed and KCC have not considered these.”
Since launching, the group’s crowdfunding bid has raised £3,472 of a £10,000 goal for legal fees.
Arguing that KCC selected the grounds in September 2023 without public consultation, campaigners say the village green bid would help “protect the land forever”.
Their fundraiser blurb reads: “Kent County Council are the only objectors to our (‘village green’) application and plan to use taxpayers’ money to fight us legally.
“(It) plans to take the entire field for development, regardless of need, leaving no green open space for the community.
“We are in the process of appointing legal counsel and will keep you updated with all our plans and progress.”
KCC secured funding for the project last year with a caveat the school must be built in time to open in September 2025, with another planned for Swanley.
It comes as Kent families are sorely in need of more providers equipped to accommodate the complex needs of SEN pupils.
Scores of parents currently travel out of town and, in some cases, across the county to drop off their children at special schools.
Gemma Rigden, from Whitstable, has a SEN child and previously told KentOnline she is passionately in favour of the project going ahead.
She drives to and from Sevenoaks each day to deliver and fetch her daughter, Sakara - round-trip journeys that can take anywhere from two-and-a-half to four hours.
“Having a child in a school so far from home adds stress for the whole family,” explained Ms Rigden.
“When the school calls to say your child has had an incident and you need to come, it’s not like some parents who can nip down the road to collect them - it means me or my husband taking half a day off work.”
If KCC throws out the ‘village green’ bid the DfE is expected to launch a 12-month feasibility study.
Only then can a planning application go before Canterbury City Council for consideration.
Meanwhile, Marie Sweetlove-Smyth, CEO of the multi-academy Fortis Trust expected to head up the school, has set out her views on how Kent children and families would benefit.
“This school will provide specialist education for children with severe learning difficulties, physical disabilities, profound and multiple learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder,” she said.
“By offering 120 new places, the school will ensure that children can receive the education they need within their local area.
“No longer will children in Whitstable have to endure long commutes to access these essential services; instead, they will enjoy a greater sense of belonging, active participation in their own community, and the opportunity to form lasting local friendships and support networks.”
She highlighted how the school will create jobs where staff will gain expertise in specialist areas, provide outreach support for other schools, and ensure children get the help they need.
“This strategic move will relieve pressure on overburdened schools in Sittingbourne, Maidstone, and West Kent, as well as those in Canterbury and Thanet,” she said.
“By opening the new Whitstable school, we can ensure that children are educated closer to home, reducing displacement and fostering stronger local communities.
“This initiative not only meets the immediate demand but also prepares us for future growth, driven by housing developments and population increases in the coastal areas of Herne Bay, Whitstable, and Faversham.”
A KCC spokesperson said: "Our plans to build a school will not affect the determination of the village green application. All applications are put through legal tests set out in the Commons Act 2006 which state any issues relating to planning, or the suitability of registering land as a Village Green, are not relevant to determining the application.
"Church Street Playing Fields are owned by KCC.
“As part of the agreement with the DfE, the special school will be funded by the DfE with KCC having to provide land which is suitable."
On whether other sites have been considered, they added: "KCC officers have met with the local interest groups and have considered the alternative sites put forward.
"None of these sites are suitable and owned by KCC and are in the geographical location to meet the needs of pupils."
Canterbury Education Kent Planning Whitstable James Pallant
