DELEGATED REPORT FOR THE APPROVAL OF COUNTY COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

Authorised by:

Planning Applications Team Leader …..S Gill ……….Date 16/11/2016…………

Team Manager, Development Management/Group Manager ..…M Hankin…………Date 16/11/2016………… Planning

Proposal: Retention of an existing temporary mobile two classroom building Location: Ash Lea School, Owthorpe Road, , NG12 3PA Applicant: NCC Children, Families and Cultural Services Application No.:8/16/02279/CTY

1. Site description – see site plan/photographs

Ash Lea School is a Special school for 72 children (January 2016) aged 3-19 situated on the east side of Owthorpe Road, Cotgrave. The school lies approximately 500m to the south of the junction with Plumtree Road, to the south of the historic centre of the village and the centre of the settlement. The playing fields of Candleby Lane Primary School, a redeveloped school which opened in 2008, lie to the north of Ash Lea School.

The school site lies in an elevated location relative to Owthorpe Road. The bank outside the school site adjoining the carriageway, which is part of the adopted highway, is screened by mature trees and established vegetation. The school playing field of Candleby Lane Primary School is on a level approximately 4m above that of Owthorpe Road.

The vehicular access to Ash Lea School is at the southern end of the frontage to Owthorpe Road opposite the junction with Greenfields Drive. There is a narrow and relatively steep pedestrian access to the school to the north of the vehicular access to the site.

Bungalows on east side of Owthorpe Road facing the application site are generally set back 12m from the highway boundary in a slightly elevated position. Residential development lies adjacent to the southern site boundary.

Ash Lea School comprises a group of single storey buildings. Three detached green coloured modular double classrooms are sited to the north of the principal school building, the nearest of which (subject of this application) lies on part of the Candleby Lane playing field 7m from the site boundary and 12m from the footway on Owthorpe Road. Of the 72 children currently on roll, 34 are educated in the temporary buildings. The school buildings cannot be readily seen from Owthorpe Road, other than possible distant views from the north when highway vegetation is not in leaf.

The school takes pupils from across , many of which have complex physical needs, including mobility issues. Current accommodation has been modified and extended over time to meet the differing and developing needs of students.

4366-6m The Special school has a strong reliance on organised transport to bring children to and from the site, in addition to parents who bring and collect their children at the beginning and end of the school day. Whilst organised transport arrives at the site and off-loads children in the morning with little delay, the transport vehicles assemble on Owthorpe Road outside the school before being allowed onto the site in groups, in three phases, at specific pre-arranged times to collect the children. Limited parent waiting also takes place on Owthorpe Road. The parked vehicles can lead to their being a long line of parked vehicles on Owthorpe Road restricting free two-way movement of traffic on a route which is used at that time by school buses en-route to collect from secondary schools.

The school operates a school day between 08:45 -15:30 hours and employs 49 full-time staff and three part-time staff (50.5 full-time equivalent – FTE). Car parking within the school site takes place to the south and west of the school building. A total of 31 parking spaces are provided for staff and visitors, with bays suitable for school mini-buses on the site.

The school has temporarily moved to Drive, West Bridgford in anticipation of construction works being carried out should planning permission for a two storey extension proposed in application reference 8/16/02129/CTY be approved and built. That application is to be reported to Planning and Licensing Committee for determination on 15 November 2016.

2. Description of proposals

The three modular classrooms on the site are the subject of temporary planning permission most recently granted under application reference 8/11/00075/CTY, but which expired on 31 March 2016. Two of the unauthorised classrooms would be removed as a necessary consequence should the development subject of current planning application reference 8/16/02129/CTY be approved and built.

Planning permission is sought to retain the newest mobile double classroom building, sited closest to Owthorpe Road for a further five year period. The single storey modular building has a footprint of 16.8m x 8.7m and comprises an entrance lobby, two classrooms with a store and two disability toilets, with access ramps to the north and south elevations.

Although the need for temporary buildings is normally addressed when permanent building takes place at a school, the applicant has identified a short- term continuing need for the mobile classroom building not impacted by the proposed school extension. It is proposed to use the building for the storage of equipment and one-to-one intervention and therapy sessions. The applicant has identified that the building, first installed in 2011, is in good condition and is suitable to be retained for a further five year period at which time a further permanent development may be viable.

3. Consultations

Rushcliffe Borough Council – No objection.

Cotgrave Town Council – No objection.

NCC Highways Development Control – No objection subject to the mobile building being used only for the purposes outlined in the application, and subject to the maximum number of pupils being limited to that indicated in the extension application currently being considered (8/16/02129/CTY).

Sport – No objection subject to a condition to require on expiry of the permission that the building is removed and the site reinstated as playing field. 4366-6m The proposal involves the retention of a temporary building on the site and continuation of the loss of playing field area. As part of the original permission an area of unusable paying field was upgraded to form part of the usable playing field area. The application is considered to meet exception E4 of Sport England Playing Field Policy - A Sporting Future for the Playing Fields of England which states:

E4 - The playing field or playing fields which would be lost as a result of the proposed development would be replaced by a playing field or playing fields of an equivalent or better quality and to equivalent or greater quantity, in a suitable location and subject to equivalent or better management arrangements, prior to the commencement of development.

4. Publicity and representations

The application has been advertised by site notice and neighbour notification in accordance with the County Council’s Adopted Statement of Community Involvement Review.

Councillor Richard Butler supports the application which will run concurrent with the planned new buildings (8/16/02129/CTY).

No representations have been received.

5. Observations

The application seeks to retain one of the existing temporary classroom buildings on the site. The two other classrooms would be removed in order to accommodate a proposed extension to the CLASP school building subject of application reference 8/16/02129/CTY. Having regard to student numbers and the accommodation required for student support at the Special school, it is considered that the school has demonstrated a short-term need for the temporary structure.

Circular 11/95 advises that temporary permission will normally only be appropriate either where the applicant proposes temporary development, or when a trial run is needed in order to assess the effect of the development on the area. Time-limited planning permission is normally granted for buildings of modular construction, although regard needs to be given to the building design, impact and nature of construction. Given the imminent changes to the school through the erection of the extension, and the identified need for additional accommodation at the school in the short-term, it is considered reasonable to retain the building for a further five year period. The continuing need for additional school space can be considered on expiry of a five year time-limited grant of planning permission.

The classroom is sited on land formerly part of Candleby Lane School. Sport England has not raised an objection to the proposed development, but it is recommended when the building is removed that the land is restored to its former use (Condition 2).

6. Other Options Considered

The report relates to the determination of a planning application. The County Council is under a duty to consider the planning application as submitted. Accordingly no other options have been considered.

7. Statutory and Policy Implications

4366-6m This report has been compiled after consideration of implications in respect of finance, the public sector equality duty, human resources, crime and disorder, human rights, the safeguarding of children, sustainability and the environment, and those using the service and where such implications are material they are described below. Appropriate consultation has been undertaken and advice sought on these issues as required.

Crime and Disorder and Safeguarding of Children Implications

The site benefits from perimeter Heras security fencing. No changes to existing site boundary treatments are proposed.

Implications for Sustainability and the Environment are considered in the report.

There are no implications for Service Users, Finance, Equalities or Human Resources Implications.

8. Planning Applications Team Leader and Team Manager, Development Management/Group Manager, Planning observations

9. Human Rights Act implications

Relevant issues arising out of consideration of the Human Rights Act have been assessed. Rights under Article 8 (Right to Respect for Private and Family Life), Article 1 of the First Protocol (Protection of Property) and Article 6 (Right to a Fair Trial) are those to be considered. In this case, however, there are no impacts of any substance on individuals and therefore no interference with rights safeguarded under these articles.

10. Statement of Positive and Proactive Engagement

In determining this application the County Planning Authority has worked positively and proactively with the applicant by assessing the proposals against relevant Development Plan policies, all material considerations, consultation responses and any valid representations that may have been received. This approach has been in accordance with the requirement set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

11. Recommendation

Planning permission is granted for the purposes of Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 subject to the following conditions under delegated powers:

1. The development hereby permitted shall relate to the application, supporting documents and the following plans:

a) Location Plan (Drawing A100 Rev B) received by the CPA on 26 August 2016;

4366-6m b) Site Plan – siting of retained mobile only - (Drawing A102 Rev E) received by the CPA on26 August 2016;

c) Floor Plan (no Drawing reference) received by the CPA on26 August 2016; and

d) Elevations (no Drawing reference) received by the CPA on26 August 2016.

Reason For the avoidance of doubt as to the development permitted.

2. This permission shall expire on 31 August 2021, at which time the modular building and related secure fencing to the north and east of the building shall be removed from the site. The site shall be restored to its former condition and use as playing field, or in accordance with details that shall be first approved by the CPA in writing. The works for the restoration of the site shall be completed by 31 October 2021, or such other date as may first be agreed in writing by the CPA.

Reason To ensure the removal of the building which has been granted temporary permission and related fencing.

12. Informatives/notes to applicants

None.

Report prepared by David Marsh

Date: 7 November 2016 (hold to issue with the extension decision)

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