If it goes ahead, the new school will open on the grammar school site in Midhurst in September.

The proposed Academy sponsors would enter into a leasing agreement with the county council to operate the new school in existing buildings.
The Rother Valley has been promised a new purpose-built, state-of-the-art secondary school with as much as £30m to spend on building and facilities if the Academy goes ahead.

But the big question already being posed is: "Where will that school be built?"

* Midhurst Town Council chairman Colin Hughes said: "Consultation should be made at this stage to allow the members of our community to express their views which can be incorporated in to any proposals from County Hall.

"We cannot wait while these decisions are taken behind closed doors and be presented with a planning application which in effect will be a fait accompli.

"We do not know the outcome of the meeting this evening, but in the interests of democratic process the community must be allowed to have a genuine voice.

"Midhurst Town Council has always felt strongly that the school should maintain its historic roots in the town. The site is unique among the secondary schools that West Sussex County Council currently presides over. This has only been possible through donations from benefactors in the past. Don't throw it all away.

"We need an imaginative build allowing for diversity of accommodation for age and subjects. Not a standard build that can be seen on the ULT website.

"We are lucky enough to have a site that will allow for the protection of our 11-year-old children coming from small rural primary schools into this large educational establishment. We are a rural community, not Barnsley, Manchester, Accrington and Salford towns, with Academies.

"To remove our secondary education out of Midhurst is to make a mistake which is irrecoverable. We lose our children from a visible
presence in our community and we lose a unique site which is capable of producing a unique educational experience.

"The alternative is a nightmare scenario for Easebourne, a lot of four-storey houses at the approach to our town and a run-of-the-mill comprehensive school. To decamp the school to Easebourne is not a good deal for the communities of Midhurst, Easebourne and the catchment area of our school."

* Easebourne Parish Council chairman Ian Heustice said: "Should the choice be made for a single school on one site, Easebourne parish councillors are very concerned as to where this should be situated.

"Based on the proposals and facts currently available to us, the majority of parish councillors feel the existing Grammar School site is the practical and sensible option. This opinion is influenced primarily by road safety concerns around the MIS, as we are frequently asked to propose or consider schemes to improve the safety of children and parents around the Wheelbarrow Castle/A286 junction.

"In addition, until all properties are sold, the impact of the new development at Budgenor Lodge on traffic flows is yet to be experienced.
"We have major concerns with the effect of a large school, perhaps double the size of MIS, located in a primarily residential area with little existing transport or parking facilities.

"There is concern, however, among some councillors concerning the future of the MIS site if the school were to cease operating there.

"Bearing in mind there are many issues facing Midhurst and Easebourne going forward, for example parking, the future of the Grange Centre and traffic flows, we believe it is vital that the decision regarding the siting of any new school facilities is taken as part of the overview of the future of the area.

* Martyn Baker, national education advisor for ULT said: "As sponsor of the proposed Academy, we have no firm view on where it should be located. Our priority is to open a school that reflects the needs of local children and construct a building that generations of students in the Rother Valley will enjoy learning in and have facilities that create an environment of academic excellence.

"The investment being offered to create a new school provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity so the decision that is taken must be the one that offers the most.

"We understand that there are strongly-held views on all sides about where the academy should be situated. These views have been aired during the very constructive consultation process and we are awaiting its findings with great interest.

"It's not for us as sponsor to decide where the academy will be built; that is a matter for the council. As sponsor, we will then be leased the land the academy is built upon. Contrary to what some people have been saying, if the Academy were ever to close, the land (and buildings) would immediately revert back to the local authority. Our only concern is that the most suitable site is chosen to maximise the benefit this academy can bring."