The Planning Inspector gave permission for a secondary school for 1200 pupils to be built on the Stag Brewery site. The funding for an academy was originally approved by the Department for Education in 2016. This part of the development is dependent on continuing approval of funding by central government. Richmond Council made it clear during the Inquiry that they would not be able to afford funding it.

We now have to see whether a decision is announced in the Government Spending Review expected on Wednesday 11 June to continue that funding. Will it be in the small print of the Review or left to the DfE to decide how to use the allocated funds?

The Inspector held that there were arguments on both sides, but preferred the Council’s position. That might suggest that when you add the cost of the Academy into the equation, the balance changes. Add also those arguments to which the Inspector gave little weight, falling pregnancy rates, transport problems and effect on sixth forms in other schools, and the balance might move further.

One might also wonder given some of the evidence on cost and risk given at the Inquiry whether Livingstone Academy is considering its position.