Item No. 15 Report Title SEDGEHILL SCHOOL and ADJOINING LAND
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- 134 - Committee PLANNING COMMITTEE ( C) Item No . 15 Report Title SEDGEHILL SCHOOL AND ADJOINING LAND, SEDGEHILL ROAD SE6 Ward Bellingham Contributors Geoff Whitington / John Mathieson Class PART 1 Date 12 APRIL 2007 Reg.No s. DC/06/64389 and DC/06/6 4389A Application dated 18.12.06 revised 12.3.07 Applicant Atkins Limited on behalf of Learning 21 Proposal Demolition of existing buildings and the construction of a new build school in a campus style group of five buildings (gross floor area 15,818 sq m) together with landscaping, including play areas, sports pitches, provision of cycle and car parking spaces and the diversion of a footpath. Applicant’s Plan Nos. 3799 -PA -S-A(0)1001 A, 100 2B, 1003 B, 10 04 B, 10 05 B, 10 06 B, 10 07 B, 100 8B, 1009 B, 10 10 B, 10 11 B, 10 12 B, TLP -06404 - S-PA01 A, 06404 -S-PA07, Planning Statement December 2006 Revised Design and Access Statement (March 2007) , Extended Phase I Habitat Survey Report November 2006 , Landscape and Visual Assessment Report December 2006 , Report on Renewable En ergy December 2006 , Ther mal Analysis Report , BREEM Pre A ssessment Estimator December 2006 , Sedgehill School Specification, Transport Statement December 2005 updated 2 March 2006 , Generic Heads of Terms Tr avel Plan December 2005 , Report on Environmental Mod elling December 2006, Mechanical & Electrical Services Technical Specification December 2006 Background Papers (1) Case File - LE/237/C/TP (2) Adopted Unitary Development Plan (July 2004) (3) The London Plan (2004 ) (4) PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Dev elopment (5) PPG2: Green Belts (6) PPG13: Transport Zoning UDP Metropolitan Open Land, Green Chain Area, Site Proposal 33 - 135 - 1.0 Property/Site Description 1.1 The application site is situated to the north of Beckenham Hill Road and is bounded to the north by Sedgehill Road comprising mainly two -storey houses which run continuously opposite to the school . Part of the eastern site boundary adjoins the Brethren’s Meeting House site. This comprises a single storey building in use as a religious meeting place w ith an extensive car park . 1.2 Adjoining the south west boundary is the Beckenham Hill Estate which comprises blocks of 5-storey flats. To the west are the rear gardens of properties fronting Braeside , generally 2 -storey s emi -detached properties , in the Lond on Borough of Bromley. 1.3 It is understood that, in terms of pupil numbers, Sedgehill School is the 4 th largest school in South East England. 1.4 The existing school buildings are located round a quadrangle, occupied by a hard surface play area adjacent to the boundary with the Beckenham Hill Estate. The quadrangle is enclosed by a large 3 storey block and a smaller 2 storey block on the west side, with a separate, more recent, 2 storey block on the eastern side. 1.5 The site slopes away from west to east, with t he existing school buildings located on the highest part of the site. 1.6 A footpath currently runs from Beckenham Hill Estate down to Sedgehill Road, through the application site. The footpath boundary to the east of the site is lit by high lighting columns , whilst t here is a strong line of mature and semi mature trees running alongside the footpath. 1.7 To the east of the school site is an overgrown area (the “L ewisham Association for People with Disabilities (L APD ) Land”) which has been used on an informal basis for trail biking. The area has also attracted dumped and burnt cars, fly tipping and other forms of undesirable activity. Part of the fencing between the footpath and the LAPD land has been broken down, with very limited security being afforded to th is part of the site. Beyond this area of scrubland is the site occupied by the Brethrens’ Meeting House . 1.8 Further east and beyond this application site is Sedgehill School’s main sports playing field. This area is the subject of a separate planning appli cation for an artificial pitch and related changing rooms etc. 1.9 The main vehicle and pedestrian access onto the school site is off Sedgehill Road. Adjacent to the entrance is a car park and a plant building with a high level boiler and chimney. The frontag e around the entrance comprises decorative steel railings. 1.10 A second vehicle entrance onto the site is via a gated access at the bend of Sedgehill Road. Here there is a smaller car park area bounded to the north by a relatively recent building used as a performing arts space. To the south of that car park is one of the original buildings (3 storeys in height). 1.11 To the north of the performing arts building is a hard surfaced play area which is surrounded by a wire mesh fence approximately 3 metres high. - 136 - 1.12 Opposite this area of hard play area, on the opposite side of Sedgehill Road is the single storey Sedgehill Centre which, in turn, i s located between groups of two - storey terraced housing. Behind the Sedgehill Centre is an adventure playground. 1.13 To the nor th of the hard play area is a fenced and gated footpath bounded by a fence and the side elevation of relatively recent two storey houses forming part of the development of Hawkins Way, a housing association development dating from the mid 1990’s. 1.14 The grou nd levels of this part of the school site drop sharply downwards towards the north -eastern boundary of the site and Braeside properties. There is an additional vehicle access (which appears to be used only in emergencies) located towards the southern corne r of the site, which leads out onto Highland Court (a residential cul - de -sac). 1.15 The school buildings are approximately 500 metres from Beckenham Hill Railway Station. The nearest bus stops are on Beckenham Hill Road and Southend Lane. The whole of the site is designated as Metropolitan Open Land. 2.0 Planning History Sedgehill School Site 2.1 There is no record in the Council’s planning files to indicate when planning permission was granted for the erection of the main school buildings. At that time, plan ning permission would have been granted by the former Greater London Council. 2.2 In September 1994, the Council granted permission for the erection of 3 metre high paled fence, along part of the eastern boundary to replace an existing fence. 2.3 In October 199 4, the Council granted planning permission for the erection of a new two storey performing arts block on the west side of Sedgehill Road, the refurbishment of the existing hard playground to form 3 new tarmac tennis courts and perimeter fence to replace ex isting courts of the site of the building, together with the erection of a replacement prefabricated fence on the south side of Sedgehill Road and the formation of a new crossover onto Sedgehill Road. 2.4 In April 1996, the Council granted permission for the erection of a two storey teaching block of 6 classrooms, meeting room/office, toilets and storage/plant room. 2.5 In November 2001, the Council granted planning permission for the erection of a 2.4 metre high metal fencing and gates. LAPD Land 2.6 In respect o f the proposed extension of the school eastwards onto the neighbouring LAPD land, this particular site was previously part of the former Forbanks Sports Ground located on the sloping ground between Beckenham Hill Road and Sedgehill Road. When the former pa vilion building was demolished in the 1980s, the play ing fields were largely unused, however, t he eastern part of the site was developed in the late 1980s as a religious meeting place for the Plymouth Brethren. P lanning permission was granted on 27 October 1989 for the use of the vacant area (measuring 1.2 hectares) as a horse riding school for the disabled with the erection - 137 - of an indoor riding school/stables. That permission was renewed in March 1994, May 1997, October 2000 and February 2004. 2.7 A S.52 Agre ement (now S.106) dated 27 October 1989 was entered into in respect of this land. This Agreement was attached to the initial grant of planning permission for the redevelopment of part of the former Forbanks Sports Ground for religious purposes. (The church use is now occupied by the Brethrens). The signatories were the Council, the Cheviot Trust and the Lewisham Association for People with Disabilities (LAPD). 2.8 The Agreement, among other matters, bound the LAPD to preserve the site for the purpose for whic h planning permission was granted. 2.9 The planning permissions for the horse riding school were subject to a number of conditions, including a limitation on the use of the site to a riding school and stables and for no other purpose, including any other purp ose in Class D2 of the Schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. 2.10 The reason for the imposition of the condition was to give the local planning authority an opportunity to consider the appropriateness of alternative uses, in the context of the open space use of the land. The most recent planning permission remains valid. 2.11 These planning permissions were reflected in the adopted Unitary Development Plan as Site Proposal 33. The latter allocates the LAPD land for leisure purposes, with the provision for disabled people in accordance with Metropolitan Open Land allocation. Existing Outline Permission for the School 2.12 In May 2006, the Council granted outline planning permission for the demolition of the existing buildings at Sedgehi ll School and the adjoining “LAPD” land and the construction of new secondary school buildings (16,444 sq metres gross floor area), provision of external play areas, hard surfacing, diversion of footpath, site works and the provision of 66 car parking spa ces.