Company collapse prolongs school move uncertainty

Surrey County Council says the planning application "remains live"

Parents, students and teachers continue to face uncertainty as plans to potentially relocate a school have been pushed back.

Surrey County Council has plans to move Reigate Priory Junior School to a new site within the authority’s own headquarters, despite concerns from some parents who say the existing town centre site can be modernised.

In January, Surrey County Council put two options out for consultation with people offered the choice of pressing on with the Woodhatch Place relocation plan or moving children into new schools across Reigate.

Now those plans have been pushed back to the summer following the collapse of ISG Limited, the county council’s building and design partner.

Work on the planning application has stopped, but the council insists the application "remains live" and the existing site cannot be continued with, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The authority said it would continue to work with the Department for Education despite the set back.

Additional ecological studies are also to be carried out in early summer.

"We understand this delay may be frustrating for some residents, but it is vital that we follow necessary procedures to ensure we find the best solution," a council statement said.

"The delay does not change the need to find a new setting for the school that is fit for the future."

Surrey County Council expects a final decision on how to proceed to be made in early autumn 2025.

ISG Limited has been contacted for comment.