TUNBRIDGE WELLS BOROUGH COUNCIL NUMERICAL LIST OF PLANNING APPLICATIONS LIKELY TO BE CONSIDERED AT THE MEETING OF THE Western Area Planning Committee at 5.30pm on Wednesday, 21 August 2002 (WAP/02/08/01) APPL. NO. DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION DECISION PAGE NO. TW/01/02267 Removal/Variation of Condition 3 of TW/97/00682 – The tennis 1-9 courts shall only be used in connection with the use of Holmewood House as a school – Holmewood House School, Barrow Lane, Langton Green, SPELDHURST TW/01/02266 Removal/Variation of Condition 12 of TW/97/00680 –The 10-16 development shall only be used for school purposes in connection with Holmewood House School – Holmewood House School, Barrow Lane, Langton Green, SPELDHURST TW/01/01741 Alterations to existing buildings to provide an additional 5 flats, 17-24 relocation of existing managers accommodation, provision of additional landscaping together with the variation of an existing Section 106 Agreement related to planning consent reference TW/87/1159 – Latters and Wenhams Farm, Hartlake Road, CAPEL TW/01/01750 Alterations to existing buildings to provide an additional 5 flats, 25-27 relocation of existing managers accommodation, provision of additional landscaping together with the variation of an existing Section 106 Agreement related to planning consent reference TW/87/1159 – Latters and Wenhams Farm, Hartlake Road, CAPEL TW/01/02401 Erection of a building to provide health and fitness club within 28-35 Use Class D2 (Assembly and Leisure) use together with car parking, landscaping and access to Dowding Way - Land off Dowding Way, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TW/02/00614 OUTLINE – (Means of access, siting and landscape not 36-39 reserved) – Industrial unit – Unit 5, High Brooms Industrial Estate, Chapman Way, SOUTHBOROUGH TW/02/01479 Removal of Condition 4 of TW/01/01403 – 40-42 39, 41 & 41a Commercial Road, PADDOCK WOOD TW/02/01007 Change of use from agricultural to storage - 43-47 Castle Hill Stables, Pembury Road, CAPEL TW/02/01121 Detached 5 bed house with double garage on part of the site - 48-52 1 Woodbury Park Gardens, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TW/02/00986 Conversion of existing residential care home into 21 no. 1 bed 53-59 and 2 bed flats, ancillary offices and replacement pitched roof rear extensions – 51-53 London Road, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TW/02/01310 Demolition of an unlisted building in a Conservation Area, 60-63 erection of new buildings and associated landscape works – Dunorlan Park, Pembury Road, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TW/02/01319 CONSERVATION AREA CONSENT – Demolition of Board 64-65 Kiosk – Dunorlan Park, Pembury Road, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TW/02/00762 Extension and Alterations – 66-68 Orchard Farm, 29 Romford Road, PEMBURY TW/02/01263 First floor extension to front of property - 69-71 22 First Street, Langton Green, SPELDHURST TW02/01156 Replacement garage and office with accommodation over – 72-76 2 Wood Cottages, Victoria Road, SOUTHBOROUGH TW02/02536 Demolition of existing dwelling and garage and erection of new 77-81 dwelling and garage with associated works – Brambleshaw, Bullingstone Lane, SPELDHURST - W1 - WESTERN AREA PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT OF THE HEAD OF PLANNING AND BUILDING CONTROL SERVICES 21 AUGUST 2002 PLANNING APPLICATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION APPLICANTS’ NAME T.P. REF. LOCATION BRIEF PARTICULARS AGENTS’ NAME - AGENTS’ OR APPLICANTS’ ADDRESS DATE VALID NAT. GRID REF. DATE OF APPLICATION HOLMEWOOD HOUSE SCHOOL TW/01/02267 Holmewood House Removal/variation of (C/O Kember Loudon Williams School Condition 3 of TW/97/00682 – Ridgers Barn Barrow Lane The tennis courts shall only Eridge Langton Green be used in connection with Tunbridge Wells SPELDHURST the use of Holmewood House Kent ) SP as a school 12/10/01 55130/38590 12/10/01 Category - Planning D Highways D DESCRIPTION Holmewood House School occupies a site to the west of Tunbridge Wells, at Langton Green. The site lies to the south of Langton Road, the main road connecting Langton Green with Tunbridge Wells town. The site is located within the Green Belt and Special Landscape Area and the southern and western part of the site, south of the tennis courts, is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The school sits in spacious grounds. The main core of the use is based around Holmewood House itself, a Grade 2 listed building. The complex contains various other buildings. A group of these is clustered to the north west of the main building and includes some older buildings, part of the established group, and now converted to changing rooms and other ancillary school facilities. This group also includes a modern sports hall and a swimming pool recently updated to a covered facility. In this part of the site, adjacent to the playing field, is another area of tennis courts. There is a group of ‘temporary’ prefabricated classrooms to the west of the main building. The school’s modern theatre lies to the west of this group. The most recent facilities added to the school are subject to conditions relating to the use – the covered swimming pool, the new tennis courts (the subject of this application) and the theatre. Knowle Court School sits further to the west, forming the pre-preparatory element of the school. The school has two means of vehicular access, one onto Barrow Lane and one onto Hither Chantlers/Holmewood Ridge. Both these accesses then feed onto Langton Road, the A264. An informal one- way system for vehicles is operated within the school grounds, with entrance via Barrow Lane and exit via Hither Chantlers. The current proposal relates to the use of the four open tennis courts to the south east of the main building, constructed pursuant to a planning application granted in 1997. The closest vehicular access is the main drive in front of the mansion. There is pedestrian access via an existing path to the courts themselves. The courts are located near the eastern boundary of the site, a minimum of 3 metres from the site boundary, which abuts the end of rear gardens of houses in Hither Chantlers. - W2 - The application seeks to remove condition (3) of that planning consent which states, ‘The tennis courts shall only be used in connection with the use of Holmewood House as a school.’ The reason for this was ‘To enable the Local Planning Authority to regulate and control development in the interests of the amenities of the locality.’ It was drawn to the Authority’s attention last year that these courts appeared to be being used other than in accordance with this condition. The applicant was asked to address the apparent contravention and has responded by the submission of this application. In support of the application, the applicant has submitted statements, key points of which are - Two of the courts are built to club standards and two to County standards. The use of the courts by the school will remain the priority. However, the school would wish to remove the condition to enable the courts to be used for community recreational purposes. - The spirit of PPG17 : Sport and recreation, and Sport England land use policy supports this dual use of school sports facilities. - Kent Structure Plan and Local Plan policies also support this where there is sufficient capacity - This is an appropriate outdoor recreation use within the green belt - The existing condition is unreasonable. If it is not agreed to remove it, it should be varied to ‘The tennis courts shall only be used in connection with the use of Holmewood House School as a school, except for organised club use outside school hours.’ - Following initial consideration of the application and the receipt of representations in response to consultations, there has been considerable discussion with highways in relation to the traffic generated by the use of these courts, other than in connection with the school. In particular, the use of Hither Chantlers, and the junction of Holmewood Ridge with Langton Road at ‘peak times’ has been highlighted as a serious problem for residents of Hither Chantlers. In the light of the above, the applicant has provided further information regarding traffic movements and flows. Details supplied include - On an average school day there are between 850 and 900 movements (one movement is a journey to and from the school). These include parents dropping off and picking up the pupils, employees, deliveries and visitors to the school. - The school has introduced a series of measures to reduce the number of private car trips. The school operates mini buses which transport 80 pupils a day, and has a car share system. - The school operates a one way system through the school grounds. - The school does not wish to exacerbate traffic movements at peak times. Therefore, use of the tennis courts by non-pupils would be outside peak times. And would be operated strictly through an organised club. There would be no access to the general public. Peak hours are considered to be approximately 7am – 9am and 3pm – 5pm. - The school would undertake to ensure that all users of the courts would enter and leave by Hither Chantlers. Users would park n front of the main building. - The maximum number of players would be 16 at any time. - a traffic management plan by the school addressing the traffic issues in a proper context, would be accepted as the subject of a planning condition. - W3 - RECENT RELEVANT HISTORY TW/ 96/01868 – Two storey music/theatre block - approved, 20/1/97 TW/97/00680 – Removal of existing open-air swimming pool, new covered pool, relocation of existing rifle range – approved 6/10/97 TW/97/00682 - New external tennis courts – approved25/7/97TW/00/01997 – Two-storey junior school building – approved 16/3/01. POLICIES 1. Kent Structure Plan 1996 - Policy ENV1 – Countryside protected for its own sake - Policy ENV3 - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Policy ENV4 – Special Landscape Area - Policy ENV19 – Listed buildings - Policy MGB3 – Development in Green Belt - Policy T17 – Vehicle parking standards - Policy RS1 – Development in countryside - Policy RS5 – Development in rural Kent – criteria - Policy SR2 – Sports and formal recreation 2.