It is now three years since GGSK was closed, and there is still no sign of a final decision about the proposal to develop the buildings and land into housing, a football pitch and a Special Needs school.
The latest dramatic news on the saga was the announcement, in June, when the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) placed Epping Forest District Council planning department in special measures. The council has been stripped of its powers to determine major planning applications due to poor performance. As a result, developers proposing large-scale projects – we can assume that must include the GGSK site – can now bypass the council and apply directly to the central government’s Planning Inspectorate.
Without wishing to re-open the discussion about the closure date of BHCHS, it is safe to say that the current interregnum hasn’t yet overtaken the gap between our closure and the opening of GGSK in September 1993.
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