Education bosses warned not to make another blunder as almost 800 homes are planned for Paisley

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The building of mass housing developments in Paisley should be halted until a review of the projected pupil numbers at local schools is completed, campaigners have said.Plans for housing at Thornly Park and Dykebar could see almost 800 family homes built in South Paisley where demand for places at St Andrew’s Academy and Todholm Primary is already high.Now campaigners say the Section 75 agreements – which set out how any developer will cover the cost of school extensions or modifications – must be completed after the projected school roll for the area is confirmed.Renfrewshire Council confirmed earlier this week it was reviewing the projected numbers for all its 62 schools after its calculation for the new Dargavel Primary went so catastrophically wrong.The local authority underestimated pupil numbers by 50 per cent at Dargavel and is now responsible for funding the multi-million solution.Council bosses will however not commit to delaying education agreements with developers in Paisley until the review is completed.Save Paisley’s Green Space, which is opposed to both developments, says the council must not be allowed to make the same mistakes again.A spokeswoman for the organisation told the Express: “The issues at Dargavel village highlight how important it is to properly assess the school rolls and listen to local communities.“Developers’ contributions are being discussed under the appeal for Dykebar but should be halted until further assessments have been completed in order that the council doesn’t make the same mistakes at cost to them and the taxpayer.” She added: “We have continually raised the issue of over capacity at St Andrew’s Academy as part of our objections to the proposed Dykebar and UWS Thornly Park