St John's School, Northwood
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
planning report GLA/4572/01 9 April 2018 St John’s School, Northwood in the London Borough of Hillingdon planning application no.10795/APP/2018/149 Strategic planning application stage 1 referral Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008. The proposal Demolition of the existing sports hall and construction of a replacement sports hall. The applicant The applicant is St John’s School and the architect is Clague Architects. Strategic issues summary: Principle of development: The application results in partial loss of Green Belt and playing fields, and harms the openness of the Green Belt. Therefore, it is inappropriate development. The very special circumstances, which include educational facilities need, community use benefits, lack of alternative sites, and size and scale dictated by Sport England standards, minimising impacts of the proposed building, use of previously developed land; do not clearly outweigh the loss and harm caused to the Green Belt and playing fields. The proposal is not supported in principle and does not fully comply with London Plan and draft London Plan policies (paragraphs 13 to 18). Sports facilities and community use: The proposed community access to the sports hall is welcomed. A detailed community use agreement for affordable and accessible usage of the sports and school facilities must be secured by way of a s106 planning agreement (paragraphs 19 and 20). Urban and inclusive design: The Council must secure key details of materials to be used to ensure the best possible build quality is delivered in the context of the Green Belt setting. The applicant must reinstate significant amount of hardstanding to green open space, to compensate for the proposed incursion. The approach to inclusive design is supported and must be secured by condition (paragraphs 21 to 23). Climate change: The carbon dioxide savings fall significantly below London Plan targets. The applicant should achieve further carbon reductions. A drainage strategy that accords with policies of the London Plan and draft London Plan must be secured by condition (paragraphs 24 to 26). Transport: Submission of a construction logistics plan that accords with the London Plan and draft London Plan must be secured through appropriate planning condition (paragraphs 27 and 28). Recommendation That Hillingdon Council be advised that the application does not fully comply with the London Plan and draft London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 32 of this report; but that the possible remedies set out in that paragraph could address these deficiencies. The application does not need to be referred back to the Mayor if the Council resolves to refuse permission, but it must be referred back if the Council resolves to grant permission. page 1 Context 1 On 7 February 2018, the Mayor of London received documents from Hillingdon Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor must provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the London Plan and draft London Plan, and his reasons for taking that view. The Mayor may also provide other comments. This report sets out information for the Mayor’s use in deciding what decision to make. 2 The application is referable under the following Categories of the Schedule to the Order 2008: Category 3D: “Development – (a) on land allocated as Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land in the development plan, in proposals for such a plan, or in proposals for the alteration or replacement of such a plan; and (b) which would involve the construction of a building with a floor space of more than 1,000 square metres or a material change in the use of such building.” Category 3C: “Development which is likely to prejudice the use as a playing field of more than 2 hectares of land which—(a) is used as a playing field at the time the relevant application for planning permission is made; or (b) has at any time in the five years before the making of the application been used as a playing field.” 3 Once Hillingdon Council has resolved to determine the application, it is required to refer it back to the Mayor for his decision, as to whether to direct refusal or allow the Council to determine it itself, unless otherwise advised. In this instance if the Council resolves to refuse permission it need not refer the application back to the Mayor. 4 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description 5 The application site is located in Hillingdon at the north-western edge of Greater London and forms part of a larger school site that adjoins the London Borough of Harrow to its east and Three Rivers District Council in Hertfordshire to its north. The school’s existing buildings and sports hall are located within a larger area of Green Belt, and as set out below, would constitute previously developed land as defined by the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The total school site extends to some 12.44 hectares and contains a cluster of centrally located buildings including a two-storey former house dating from the 1920’s and more recent single and two storey purpose built buildings – one of which is the school’s sports hall which the school is looking to replace with a larger facility. The wider school site includes grass playing fields, an artificial sports pitch and two areas of woodland designated as Nature Conservation Sites of Borough Grade II or Local Importance. The site also slopes up from south to north, from 90 – 95m AOD towards Hillside Road, to 125m at the northern extreme. Details of the proposal 6 The detailed planning application comprises demolition of the existing single storey sports hall and the construction of a 2-storey sports hall as illustrated below. page 2 Existing and proposed sports hall impact on openness: Source – applicant’s visual assessment document. Dimensions of Sports Hall & ancillary Footprint Floorspace Height accommodation (sqm) (sqm) (metres) Proposed 955 1,127 7.5 Existing 347 347 6.0 Difference +608 (175%) +780 (225%) +1.5 (25%) 7 The new facility would provide the school with a double height multi-functional sports space containing 3 badminton courts and the following ancillary accommodation: 2 changing rooms with showers and WC’s (DDA compliant). Sports storage. First aid room. Staff office and an additional changing room. Meeting room. Kitchenette/servery, and; 2 school club spaces. 8 The number of pupils at the school is limited by planning condition to 350 and the number of staff to 65 full-time equivalents. The application does not seek to alter either of these caps. Case history 9 The planning history reveals that the existing sports hall building was constructed in 1986, under the planning permission ‘for erection of gymnasium and changing facilities (existing greenhouse and storage shed to be demolished)’, (LPA ref:10795/T/85/0747). Strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance 10 For the purposes of Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the development plan in force for the area is the 2012 Hillingdon Local Plan: Part 1-Strategic Policies, and the Part 2-Saved policies of the Unitary Development Plan (2012), and the 2016 London Plan. page 3 11 The following are also relevant material considerations: The National Planning Policy Framework; The draft National Planning Policy Framework; National Planning Practice Guidance; Draft London Plan (December 2017); Hillingdon emerging Local Plan: Part 2-Development Management Policies, and Site Allocations and Designations, and Policies Map; 12 The relevant issues and corresponding policies are as follows: Education London Plan; Social Infrastructure SPG; Green Belt London Plan; Playing fields London Plan; Community use London Plan; Urban design London Plan; Access London Plan; Accessible London: achieving an inclusive environment; Sustainable development London Plan; Sustainable Design and Construction SPG; Mayor’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy; Mayor’s Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Strategy; Mayor’s Water Strategy; Transport London Plan; the draft Mayor’s Transport Strategy; Principle of development – education facility/sports hall and Green Belt 13 The application seeks to replace the school’s existing single storey sports hall with a new two-storey (28m x 18m x 7.5m high) multi-use sports hall. The applicant has held pre-application discussions with Sport England which has indicated that the proposal could meet Sport England’s Exception Policy E5, and confirmed that: ‘The proposed development is for an indoor or outdoor sports facility, the provision of which would be of sufficient benefit to the development of sport as to outweigh the detriment caused by the loss of the playing field or playing fields.’ 14 The National Planning Policy Framework and Government Policy Statement on Planning for Schools Development (2011) emphasise that great importance should be attached to the delivery of a sufficient choice of school places to meet the needs of existing and new communities. Draft London Plan Policy S3 and London Plan Policy 3.18 confirm that the Mayor strongly supports the provision of new schools in response to identified local need. These policies also encourage the shared use of services between schools, colleges, universities, sports providers, and community facilities and policy 3.19 of the London Plan sets out that proposals that increase or enhance the provision of sports and recreation facilities will be supported. Loss of Green Belt 15 Policy 7.16 of the London Plan, Policy G2 of the draft London Plan, and the NPPF stress that the strongest protection should be given to Green Belt and that inappropriate development should be refused, except in very special circumstances.