A centre for young people with special educational needs is to be built in Eltham at the home of the Wide Horizons charity, which collapsed amid acrimony five years ago, Greenwich Council has confirmed.
The council plans to knock down the old facilities at Bexley Road and build a transitional learning facility for people up to the age of 25. A consultation has begun today on the plans for the centre, which could open in late 2025.
The centre would be the first of its kind in the borough, helping to provide work experience and independence skills through indoor and outdoor learning.
The site has a long history of being used for education, having once served as a nature supply centre for all schools in inner London, growing plants and shrubs for use in classrooms and laboratories.
It then became a centre for teacher training and day visits for primary and secondary pupils, set among flower meadows, ponds and orchards.
Wide Horizons took on the site when it was spun out of Greenwich and Lewisham councils in 2004. But the outdoor education charity went bust in July 2018 amid claims from former council leader Danny Thorpe of financial mismanagement, which were strongly denied by the charity.
Both Bexley Road and another Wide Horizons site, Margaret McMillan House, near Wrotham in Kent, reverted to Greenwich management when the charity closed, with property guardians living at both sites. A campaign to bring them back into use for outdoor education has been shrugged off by the council.
Only part of the Bexley Road site is being used for the transitional learning centre, with 2.7 hectares of woodland next to Crown Woods Academy currently available for rent for “educational use”.
No still images have been made available for those responding to the online consultation on the new centre, with only a “fly-through” video shown on the website. In-person sessions will also take place at the Eltham Centre from 2pm to 5pm on Wednesday and 5pm to 8pm on Thursday.
Matt Morrow, the cabinet member for children and young people said: “This centre will be the first of its kind in Greenwich and the services it aims to provide will be invaluable to our young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
“Currently, there is insufficient provision within the borough, with 30 young people currently placed outside of London in alternative provisions, many of whom are a significant distance away from home. Building a new educational hub will ensure everyone can reach their full potential and empower our young people.”
Aidan Smith, the cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This development will deliver positive change to Eltham for existing and new communities. The building will be carbon net zero, allowing us to play an active role in tackling the climate crisis and improving environmental sustainability.”
The consultation can be found at newsendfacility.commonplace.is.
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