Crockenhill Primary School: fences and water

I have been working recently on a number of issues in and around Crockenhill Primary School which have been causing difficulty and distress both to the school and to nearby residents.

The first problem is the gradual collapse of a wall separating the school from a neighbouring property and the need to replace it in some way. The school first contacted me about this earlier in the year; I raised the issue with officers at KCC's property arm Gen2, and some progress appeared to be being made. However, this then stalled and the issue was raised with me again some weeks ago.

Meanwhile, a separate issue arose with leaks from the Thames Water system on the school site. KCC facilities management contractors tried to address the problem but had little success and left holes in the playground. More water ran off, affecting neighbouring gardens. I asked Gen2 to get involved, and KCC offered to fund the works, but at this point Thames Water themselves had sent staff to attempt to fix the problem. However, these efforts were also unsuccessful and by this stage I was being contacted by a number of neighbours whose gardens were being inundated.

I visited the school and neighbouring residents some weeks ago and have sought the involvement of senior staff from Gen2. There appears to be some progress, with works on a new fence (to replace the collapsing wall in its entirety) to start this coming Monday (18 November), to be completed by January. Gen2 have also been in contact with the school on the water issues, and I understand that a further Thames Water team will be in the school over this weekend.