Sandye Place Academy site in Sandy consultation

Central Bedfordshire Council is seeking views on the future of the former Sandye Place Academy site.

Sandye Place Academy used to be a school, but this was closed by the Secretary of State in 2019. Since then, we have made the site secure and safe at the cost of around £100k per year with an additional spend to prevent deterioration of the listed buildings.

The site is highly valued locally and has been used for a number of events both during the time it operated as a school and more recently to host the Sandy Carnival, Coronation celebrations and other ad-hoc events. Sandy youth club also operates from a dedicated building on the site.

Part of the playing field has already been provided to St Swithun’s Church of England VC Primary School.

The site has historical features and open space and is much cherished by the local community. Through previous public consultations and discussions, there have been many suggestions put forward for its future use.

We are currently spending £100,000 annually on security and maintenance of the former Sandye Place Academy, with an additional spend to prevent deterioration of the listed buildings.

Proposals for the future of the site include:

• improving residential care home provision in Sandy by investing £18.5 million and building a new residential home on the site. This would replace Allison House in the town
• the new care home could also include other community facilities residents have suggested the site could be used for, such as community space and café facilities open to the public. This would support residents’ desire for the site to remain a focal point for the whole community of Sandy
• suggestions for the rest of the former Sandye Place Academy site - this could be transferring the asset to the community or leasing it to a group for an agreed amount, reviewing community suggestions for the land, giving the community the right to bid for the site, as well as opening up the opportunity to sell the land to any of the mentioned groups, or others interested in buying it. Any of these options would need to mitigate ongoing financial pressures

There are also other options we want to explore with the community, and together, come up with the best plan for the currently inactive site that will benefit and add value to the local community and address the ongoing wider financial implications. Sandy Town Council has been a valued partner, sharing its aspirations for the site and a commitment has been made to support the town council in formulating a proposal.

The consultation sets out our proposal for the future of Allison House which we think provides the best outcome for people we support at the home, Sandy residents, the local community in Sandy and Central Bedfordshire taxpayers and we welcome feedback on them. We also want to hear any alternative ideas or proposals you may have for the former Sandye Place Academy site that are realistic given the current financial constraints we are working within.

Please read the information on the following pages (click on the boxes below) to read about the proposals and then complete the consultation questionnaire before 8 July 2025.