A PARISH council will have its date in court after a High Court date to challenge a school’s placing in a village was confirmed.
Stoke Poges Parish Council has been informed that the hearing against the Secretary of State’s decision to grant prior approval to the Khalsa Secondary Academy in Stoke Poges will be heard on July 12 and 13 in London.
The Sikh-faith school, which has been housed at Pioneer House in Hollybush Hill since 2013, was initially refused permission to stay at the site by South Bucks District Council, a decision which was backed up by a planning inspector following an inquiry.
But former Secretary of State for communities and local government Eric Pickles overturned that decision, before reversing his own verdict which led to the redetermination by the new secretary of state, Greg Clark in February.
Saera Carter, parish council vice chairman, said: “We are delighted that we finally have a date in the High Court for the village of Stoke Poges to have its voice heard. The government has completely ignored the perfectly fair and reasonable arguments against siting a secondary school in this beautiful Green Belt Buckinghamshire village, and we look forward to being able to present our case to a judge – whom we trust will agree with the district council and the planning inspector to refuse prior approval for this school.”
South Bucks District Council has also challenged the decision, but filed a separate case which will also be heard alongside that of the parish council during the same hearing.
Nick Kandola, chairman of the Slough Sikh Education Trust, which operates the school, said: “We are confident that the High Court hearing will be in our favour and want to thank the parents, pupils, staff and the community for the tremendous support they have provided to the school during the last three years.”
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