Primary School, Gnosall on Behalf of the Cabinet of Staffordshire County Council
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Planning Statement St Lawrence CE (VC) Primary School, Gnosall On Behalf of the Cabinet of Staffordshire County Council 10 September 2014 Planning & Development QUALITY MANAGEMENT Prepared by: Cameron Austin-Fell Authorised by: Joe Murphy Date: 10 September 2014 Project Number/Doc Ref: JBB8230.C2848 DISCLAIMER The opinions and interpretations presented in this report represent our best technical interpretation of the data made available to us. However, due to the uncertainty inherent in the estimation of all parameters, we cannot, and do not guarantee the accuracy or correctness of any interpretation and we shall not, except in the case of gross or wilful negligence on our part, be liable or responsible for any loss, cost damages or expenses incurred or sustained by anyone resulting from any interpretation made by any of our officers, agents or employees. Except for the provision of professional services on a fee basis, RPS does not have a commercial arrangement with any other person or company involved in the interests that are the subject of this report. RPS cannot accept any liability for the correctness, applicability or validity for the information they have provided, or indeed for any consequential costs or losses in this regard. Our efforts have been made on a "best endeavours" basis and no responsibility or liability is warranted or accepted by RPS. COPYRIGHT © RPS The material presented in this report is confidential. This report has been prepared for the exclusive use of Stafford Country Council and shall not be distributed or made available to any other company or person without the knowledge and written consent of Stafford County Council or RPS. Planning & Development CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2 SITE AND LOCATION ............................................................................................................................ 3 3 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................ 5 4 NATIONAL POLICY & GUIDANCE ........................................................................................................ 8 5 SPORT ENGLAND POLICY AND GUIDANCE .................................................................................... 14 6 THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN ................................................................................................................ 16 7 THE PLANNING BALANCE ................................................................................................................. 21 8 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................... 26 APPENDIX 1 – STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL NEW SCHOOL FAQS ............................................. I Planning & Development iii 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction 1.1 This planning statement has been prepared by RPS Planning and Development (RPS) on behalf of the Cabinet of Staffordshire County Council (SCC) in support of a new 1.5FE primary school in the village of Gnosall. 1.2 A full planning application has been submitted to Staffordshire County Council (SCC) for the application site of 4.39ha, proposing the demolition of existing school buildings, including the swimming pool, to be replaced by a new two storey primary school, hard standing and associated infrastructure. 1.3 The school is to be redeveloped as part of the Priority Schools Building Programme, run by Interserve on behalf of the Education Funding Agency (EFA). 1.4 This statement appraises the proposal for the replacement primary school against the national and local policy framework in Stafford Borough Council (SBC), which determines that planning permission should be granted on this site. In the preparation of the submission, RPS has considered a range of technical evidence which has been prepared by an extensive consultancy team. Plans and Reports 1.5 This statement should be read in conjunction with the following: Application Forms and Certificates Design and Access Statement (incorporating 1. Statement of Community Involvement, 2. Heritage Statement and 3. Foul Sewage and Utilities Assessment) (September 2014); Transport Statement and Travel Plan (September 2014); Site Plans and Drawings Arboricultural Survey Report (October 2013); Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (August 2013); Bat Presence/Absence Survey (June 2014); Flood Risk Assessment (September 2014); Environmental Acoustics Report (September 2014); Geoenvironmental Desk Study (June 2013); Factual Report on Ground Investigation (November 2013); and Project Management Plan. Planning & Development 1 Pre Application Discussions and Application Validation 1.6 The proposal has been informed by pre-discussions with officers from SCC. The applicant, SCC has maintained open and ongoing dialogue with SBC in the preparation of this planning application. The proposals for the redevelopment of St. Lawrence’s primary school has been taken through various stages of democratic involvement, to ensure that Councillors, Officers and the public have been made aware of the site selection process and important changes relating to the proposed development. 1.7 As part of pre-application discussions, Sport England was invited to comment on the proposals in 2013. They responded in October 2013, expressing concern that the loss of the changing rooms as part of the development may trigger statutory involvement, as this involved the loss of community facilities for the adjacent sports pitch. Clarification has since been sought from Trish Edwards, the Head of St. Lawrence CE Primary School, who has confirmed that the changing rooms are limited only to the swimming pool and do not serve the sports pitches. In this context, RPS considers that the proposed development does not trigger statutory involvement from Sport England. Applicant 1.8 The Applicant, SCC is the higher tier Authority in Staffordshire, responsible for education, child and adult care, transport and highways and certain planning functions. As the education provider for the District, SCC retains ownership of St. Lawrence Primary School and is entrusted to manage the school in an efficient and viable way. Structure of Planning Statement 1.9 The remainder of this statement is structured as follows: Section 2 describes the site and its surroundings; Section 3 addresses the site history; Section 4 addresses the application proposals; Section 6 demonstrates how the proposed development relates to national policy; Section 7 demonstrates how the proposed development relates to Sport England policy; Section 8 demonstrates how the proposed development relates to the development plan; Section 9 addresses the planning merits and overall Planning Balance; Section 10 provides overall policy conclusions. Planning & Development 2 2 SITE AND LOCATION Background 2.1 Gnosall is a large village with a population of around 3,783, located in the south-west of Stafford Borough, which is located adjacent to the A518 road linking Stafford to Newport. Gnosall has developed as two distinct areas, bisected to the north and south by the former Stafford-Newport railway line and the floodplain of the Doley Brook. 2.2 In 2012 Stafford Borough Council undertook a revised settlement assessment and audit of services and facilities. The document identified that Gnosall is well served by a range of services and facilities, including a number of convenience shops, two medical facilities, three educational facilities and a half hourly bus service to Stafford and Newport. 2.3 In terms of the settlements within Stafford Borough, Gnosall is considered one of the larger, more sustainable villages, which supports the larger towns of Stafford and Stone. Site Location 2.4 The site is bounded by the Gnosall Memorial Village Hall to the north; a car dealership to the north west and agricultural land in all other directions. The land to the north of the school on Lowfield Lane is currently being developed to provide 30 new houses. The southern edge of the site is bordered by a disused railway line which is now a public right of way. The application site measures approximately 4.39 hectares in area in total. 2.5 The existing school consists of a two story building with a total footprint of 2,141m2. The southern and western edges to the site are densely vegetated/woodland areas with the remainder of the site consisting of hard standing and grassed areas. There are railings/fencing forming the boundary of the site. The school is not sited in a conservation area. 2.6 In March 2014 the swimming pool within the site was designated by Gnosall Parish Council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), following nomination in February 2014. The designation as an ACV permits the designating body a moratorium period to bid for the ACV should the landowner wish to dispose of the land. The moratorium provisions only apply to disposals and in the context of this application, the moratorium rules do not apply. 2.7 Figure 1 below includes a site plan of the existing site boundary, along with the location of buildings on the site. Planning & Development 3 Figure 1 – Existing Site Plan Planning & Development 4 3 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The Application Proposal 3.1 This section addresses the detail of the planning application. The principal components of the proposal are described in detail below and supported by technical reports