Management Information Sheet

This is to notify you that the West Norfolk Professional Development Centre will close for bookings on 31 August 2017. Bookings which have been made up to that date will be retained but bookings which have been made for dates beyond that date will need to identify alternative arrangements.

Norfolk County Council's operational need for the Professional Development Centre has changed in recent years and the PDC building has been under-utilised as a result of these changes. Norfolk County Council has commissioned Fen Rivers Academy to meet the pressing need for education provision for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and the new places will enable its students to be taught closer to home than currently. The County Council has decided that reuse of the PDC for these students more effectively meets its service priorities.

The wider context is that Norfolk County Council is implementing a major reorganisation of premises in North Lynn which will see the following:

• Relocation of St Edmund's Academy into a brand new school building within the Lynnsport development. This building is scheduled to open in 2019
• Use of the West Norfolk Professional Development Centre and part of St Edmund's Academy from September 2017 by the Fen Rivers Academy. Catch 22, the academy sponsor, is currently consulting locally on its proposals and more information is available via www.thefenriversacademy.org.uk
• Relocation of the Supervised Contact Centre (The Link) to alternative premises in King's Lynn by mid-November 2017
• Relocation of Gypsy Roma Traveller office base to alternative premises by Friday 15 September 2017

These moves have associated building works at the PDC which need to be completed by January 2018 to enable Fen Rivers Academy to occupy the PDC accommodation.

Alternative venues in the King's Lynn and wider area have been identified as below and can be contacted direct for enquiries.

• College of West Anglia
• South Lynn Community Centre
• Alive Lynnsport
• Fairstead Primary School
• King's Lynn Innovation Centre
• Green Britain Centre