The Forest High School at Frenchs Forest will soon move to a new home as its current site will be bulldozed to make way for a new town centre. The school will occupy the former headquarters of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance in Allambie Rd.
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The new location, spanning 2.7 hectares, is two kilometres away from The Forest High, and near Manly, which needs a co-ed comprehensive school since Beacon Hill High School closed in 2002.
188 Allambie Rd (Photo credit: Google Street View)
The former headquarter was also known as the McLeod House, in honour of Audrie and Neil McLeod, founders of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (formerly The Spastic Centre). A severe fire gutted the dministration building of The Spastic Centre in 2007, but McLeod House was not reportedly not damaged.
McLeod House c. 1957 – c. 1967 (Photo credit: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au)
In 2015, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance announced plans to sell the land for at least $20 million. But since it’s identified as an SP1 Special Activities zone, it means it has been applied to special land uses or sites with special characteristics that cannot be accommodated in other zones. Because of its restrictions on use, the State Government still has the final say in the use of the property.
Funding for The Forest High’s relocation has been set aside in the NSW Budget, having been chosen as one of the three northern beaches projects that will receive funding from Berejiklian government’s $2.1 billion school investment.
A spokesperson from the Department of Education said School Infrastructure NSW was investigating the costs and benefits, spatial requirements of upgrades, and how they might fit within the wider Frenchs Forest community. Further details regarding the school’s relocation will be released in the coming weeks.
Plans for Frenchs Forest Town Centre (Photo credit: Northern Beaches Council)
The new town centre is part of the Frenchs Forest Priority Precinct, which would allow the creation of medium density residential areas with shop top apartment blocks. It’s expected to deliver up to 3000 new dwellings and 2300 jobs over the next 20 years.