Item D6 Retention of mobile classroom complex at Reculver C of E Primary School, , – CA/03/1704

A report by Head of Planning Applications Unit to Planning Applications Committee on 17 February 2004

Application by County Council Education & Libraries for the renewal of planning consent for mobile complex at Reculver C of E Primary School, Hillborough, Herne Bay

Recommendation: Permission be granted subject to conditions.

Local Member(s): Mr John Law Classification: Unrestricted

Site

1. Reculver C of E Primary School is located to the east of Herne Bay and is within the Reculver ward. The main entrance to the school is situated on the corner where Sweechbridge Road and Reculver Road meet. The school is located in a rural setting with some residential properties and Reculver church surrounding the site. A plan is attached.

Proposal

2. The application has been submitted by Kent County Council Education and Libraries and proposes the renewal of planning consent for a mobile classroom complex.

3. This school is organised in 17 classes, 13 of which are in permanent accommodation and 4 of which are in the classrooms and shared activity areas provided in the mobile complex.

4. The school has benefited as far as possible from replacement of temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation in recent years. However, further money for replacement of the mobile complex is not in prospect as the number of places in the Education area in which the school falls is more than the number of pupils.

5. Therefore the mobile complex needs to be retained for the school which has a roll of 478 and is expected to remain at around that level.

Planning Policy

6. The Development Plan Policies summarised below are relevant to the consideration of the application:

(i) The Adopted 1996 Kent Structure Plan:

Policy S2 – Seeks to conserve and enhance the quality of Kent’s environment.

Policy S9 – Has regard for the need for community facilities and services.

Policy ENV1 – Development in the countryside should seek to maintain or enhance it.

D6.6 Item D6 Retention of mobile classroom complex at Reculver C of E Primary School, Hillborough, Herne Bay – CA/03/1704

A report by Head of Planning Applications Unit to Planning Applications Committee on 17 February 2004

Application by Kent County Council Education & Libraries for the renewal of planning consent for mobile complex at Reculver C of E Primary School, Hillborough, Herne Bay

Recommendation: Permission be granted subject to conditions.

Local Member(s): Mr John Law Classification: Unrestricted

NB. Maintain section break on next line because headers change from next page.

D6.6 Item D6 Renewal of planning consent for mobile classroom complex at Reculver C of E Primary School, Hillborough, Herne Bay – CA/03/1704

Policy ENV15 – The character, quality and functioning of Kent’s built environment will be conserved and enhanced.

Policy RS1 – All development permitted at villages and small rural towns should be designed; appropriate in location, scale, density and appearance to its surroundings.

(ii) The Kent & Medway Structure Plan – Deposit Plan September 2003 .

Policy SP1 – Seeks to conserve and enhance Kent’s environment and ensuring a sustainable pattern of development.

Policy E1 – Development in the countryside should seek to maintain and enhance it.

Policy QL1 – All development should be well designed and be of high quality.

Policy QL12 – Existing community services, including schools, and recreation facilities will be protected as long as there is a demonstrable need for them.

(iii) District Local Plan, November 1998:

Policy D1 – The City Council will permit development of a high standard.

Policy C14 – The City Council will ensure that provision is made for educational needs.

Consultations

7. Canterbury City Council : No objection raised.

8. The Area Transportation Office raises no objection to the proposal

Local Member

9. The local County Member, Mr John Law was notified of the application on the 02 December 2003. No written comments have yet been received.

Publicity

10. The application was publicised by the posting of a site notice and the individual notification of 14 nearby properties.

Representations

11. I have received one letter of representation from a local resident. The main comments/points of concern and objection include the following:

D6.6 Item D6 Renewal of planning consent for mobile classroom complex at Reculver C of E Primary School, Hillborough, Herne Bay – CA/03/1704

• How can planning consent for mobiles be renewed when the original site has been occupied by a building housing play/pre-school. Two of the original temporary classes were condemned and moved onto a site next to the Church on the playing field, in order to make room for the new buildings. • A new planning application should be sought and a new case made as to the need for two classrooms. • The road accessing the area from Reculver, and are all too narrow for the amount of traffic that will be expected to travel on them. • No areas for parking have as yet been identified, also no road markings have been provided indicate restrictions of waiting. • No off road drop off zones have been provided. This should be a priority for the safety of the children being dropped off at school. • The increasing traffic from the proposed building of 100+ dwellings on the site of a disused factory on Sweechbridge Road will also cause more chaos on the roads surrounding the area. More chaos will be caused by the proposed building of 91 dwellings on the Old Hillborough Farm, again causing more access problems on the mentioned roads. • No proposals have been made to provide parking for the teaching staff, so that they are not forced to park on these already narrow roads. • It is felt that the increase in housing has created the need to replace the two condemned buildings. However, this cannot be attempted without improving the road structure, parking and drop off zones. Restricted parking will only lead to increased danger for the children.

Discussion

12. The application needs to be considered in the context of the relevant Development Plan Policies and with regard to any other material planning considerations.

13. The application is for the retention of an already existent mobile complex, pending the provision of permanent new accommodation. The mobile units referred to in the letter from a neighbour of the school, were temporarily stored and not for the school, but for the replacement of 2. defective mobiles in the nursery block. The nursery has now combined the mobiles into one block. The nursery is completely independent of the school although it shares the school site. The planning application is only for the block of mobiles as shown on the plans provided.

14. With regard to the use of the mobile units, subject to the planning application, the mobiles are all used as teaching space and currently in use by the school.

15. The County Council and Education Authority is currently considering the provision of permanent new classroom accommodation at Reculver School to cater for the proposed new housing in the locality. Such expansion of the school would also involve permanent replacement of the mobile accommodation, together with improved parking provision at the site. Although such development might need to be phased because of funding limitations, new accommodation could be available by September 2005.

16. No increase in traffic is expected, as a result of the current proposal, the school roll is to remain the same. The County Council is aware of the planning applications submitted to Canterbury City Council for 91 new dwellings over the road from the school, on the Old Hillborough Farm, and a further 100 nearby. It is accepted that this increase in the number of dwellings in the area would have a profound effect on the traffic situation in D6.6 Item D6 Renewal of planning consent for mobile classroom complex at Reculver C of E Primary School, Hillborough, Herne Bay – CA/03/1704

the area. However, this is not related to this application, which can only be judged on its own merits. Should an increase in pupil numbers be caused by this influx of dwelling number, this would be considered under a separate application. As it stands, no increase in traffic would be caused through the retention of already existing mobile classrooms.

17. Concern has been raised regarding the need for teachers and staff to be supplied with a car park on site for their car. However, the school already has one. The agent stated that the school has 25 car parking spaces but the staff generally find somewhere to park on site to avoid taking up street parking spaces.

18. The School is in great need of the retention of the mobile classrooms. The school is organised into 17 classes, 4 of these classes rely on the use of these mobiles for their teaching accommodation. To remove these classrooms would leave 4 classes homeless and would leave the school with a severe lack of resources. Policy QL12 of the Kent and Medway (Deposit) Structure plan, states that existing community services, including schools, will be protected as long as there is a demonstrable need for them.

Conclusion

19. My view is that there are no overriding planning or transportation objections to the proposed retention of the mobile complex to justify withholding planning consent. Moreover, the School is in great need for the retention of the mobile classrooms pending the provision of the new permanent accommodation, which will take time to design and construct. As the need to retain these units has been demonstrated and no impact on traffic and parking in the area is expected as a result of the mobiles units being retained, I consider this proposal to be acceptable in planning terms.

Recommendation

20. I RECOMMEND that PERMISSION BE GRANTED, SUBJECT TO conditions including that the mobile complex shall be removed and the site restored to its condition immediately prior to the development hereby permitted on or before 28 February 2009.

Case officer – Helena Woodcock 01622 221063

Background documents - See section heading

D6.6