8 week date Application No. Date of meeting Report No.

16/06/2011 GR/2011/0361 27/07/2011 GR/2011/0362

Gads Hill House School, Road, Higham

GR/2011/0361 - Application for minor material amendments to Listed Building Consent reference number 20070189 relating to the design of the proposed new junior and senior schools only.

GR/2011/0362 - Application for minor material amendment to planning permission reference number 20070188 relating to the design of the proposed new junior and senior schools only.

Gads Hill School Association

Recommendation:

Delegated to Service Manager, Development Control

1. Site Description

Gads Hill Place is located on the southern side of Gravesend Road (A226) approximately 1km to the west of the Wainscot By-Pass (A289).

The site comprises Gads Hill Place and its associated school buildings, including the Gardener’s Cottage, stables and coach house, which together with the gardens, playing fields and car park covers some 12 acres.

The site is located at the junction of Crutches Lane with Gravesend Road with the main access to the school buildings being achieved from the car parking areas located to the rear of the building accessed from Crutches Lane.

The site is located within the Green Belt.

Gads Hill Place was built in 1779 by Thomas Stevens, a former Mayor of Rochester. The historic significance of the site is well documented and was occupied by from 1857 until his death in 1870. Whilst living at the house many of his most important works were written there. Dickens also made significant changes to the building including the addition of the drawing room, conservatory and tunnel under the road and adding to its special architectural and historic interest. This later led to its Grade 1 listing in 1952.

2. Planning History

20070188 Demolition of existing school Permitted 09.07.201 hall and outbuildings and 0 erection of a part one and part two storey junior school and a three storey senior school including minor revisions to the previously considered floor plans and elevations facing Crutches Lane; conversion of the Mansion House (Old School Buildings) into a Dickens Visitor Centre involving the erection of a glazed entrance link, erection of maintenance shed and laying out of a service yard, formation of car port and coach park, improvements to Crutches Lane/Gravesend Road junction and improvements to existing vehicular access to the school along Crutches Lane.

20070189 Application for Listed Building Permitted 02.08.201 Consent for the demolition of 0 existing school hall and outbuildings and erection of a part one and part two storey junior school and a three storey senior school; internal and external alterations in connection with the conversion of the mansion house (old school building) into a Dicken's Visitor's Centre involving new glazed entrance link and replacement of some windows; erection of a maintenance shed; laying out of service yard and formation of car and coach park.

20090076 Retention of the single storey Permitted 10.03.200 building (Hewlett Pavilion) to the 9 south of the walled kitchen garden to provide five classrooms, offices and storerooms for a temporary period.

20100459 Siting of a portacabin for a Granted Temporary 19.07.201 temporary period of three years. Permission 0

19520063 Erection of classroom Application 24.05.195 Withdrawn 2

20110363 Siting of a portacabin to provide Granted Temporary 08.07.201 additional classroom facilities for Permission 1 a temporary period of three years.

20110405 Application for approval of Pending conditions 7-10, 12 and 15 Consideration attached to planning permission reference number 20070188 relating to the vehicular access, highway improvements, boundary and surface treatments, surface water drainage and external lighting to access and car parking areas, landscaping scheme and surface water disposal.

20110404 Application for the approval of Pending condition 5 attached to Listed Consideration Building Consent reference number 20070189 relating to the boundary and surface treatments.

20110541 Application for non-material Pending amendment to planning Consideration permission reference number 20070188 to allow a start to be made on site to vehicle access, parking and turning areas in advance of other pre- commencement conditions.

20110545 Application for approval of Application Invalid condition 3 attached to Listed On Receipt Building Consent reference number 20070189 relating to the details and samples to be used in the construction of the building.

20110549 Application for approval of Application Invalid conditions 3, 14, 16 & 20 On Receipt attached to planning permission reference number 20070188 relating to details and samples of external materials, contaminated land assessment, assessment of impact on adjacent residential area with respect to noise and the archaeological watching brief.

20020600 Application for Listed Building Permitted 20.09.200 Consent for repairs & partial re- 2 building of garden wall involving erection of new buttresses.

20060385 Renewal of temporary planning Permitted 03.07.200 permission reference number 6 GR/2003/276 for erection of a single storey building to the south of the walled kitchen garden to provide five classrooms, offices and storerooms for a temporary period.

20050444 Application for renewal of Permitted 10.08.200 temporary planning permission 5 reference number GR/2002/366 for the siting of a temporary classroom.

20030276 Erection of a single storey Permitted 20.10.200 building to the south of the 3 walled kitchen garden to provide five classrooms, offices and store rooms for a temporary period.

20020366 Siting of a temporary classroom. Permitted 12.07.200 2

3. Proposal

Planning permission and Listed Building Consent were granted in 2010 for demolition of existing school hall and outbuildings and erection of a part one and part two storey junior school and a three storey senior school including minor revisions to the previously consider floor plans and elevations facing Crutches Lane; conversion of the Mansion House (Old School Buildings) into a Dickens Visitors Centre involving the erection of a glazed entrance link, erection of maintenance shed and laying out of a service yard, formation of car port and coach park, improvements to Crutches Lane/Gravesend Road junction and improvements to existing vehicular access to the school along Crutches Lane under reference Nos. GR/2007/0188 and GR/2007/0189.

The ‘Minor Material Amendment’ applications propose a number of amendments to the approved scheme in relation to the design of the new junior and senior schools only. The applicant has identified fifty such changes, twenty three for the junior school and twenty seven for the senior school. The schedule listing the amendments can be found in the attached appendix 1.

However it should be noted that there are more than fifty amendments as other changes have been identified on the plans which are not included in the applicant’s schedule.

4. Development Plan

The Development Plan comprises:-

• The Regional Spatial Strategy, South East Plan (2009) • The Gravesham Local Plan First Review (1994) • Saved Policies of the Local Plan First Review (1994)

There are a number of other un-adopted planning documents (e.g. The Gravesham Local Plan Second Review) which are of some relevance and are a material consideration, together with national planning advice and guidance (PPG’s/PPS’s) and the emerging policies in the Local Development Framework.

Local Planning Guidance

Gravesham Local Plan First Review

The Gravesham Local Plan First Review was adopted in November 1994. It will continue to have effect as the development plan pending the preparation of the Local Development Framework (LDF). A substantial number of policies of the Gravesham Local Plan First Review have been saved by a Direction dated 25 September 2007 of the Secretary of State under paragraph 1 (3) of Schedule 8 to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

The following policies are relevant:

• GB1: Green Belt Definition • GB2: Development in the Green Belt • TC0: Townscape and Design • TC1: Protecting Townscape • TC2: Listed Buildings • C1: Areas of Special Significance for Agriculture • C5: Areas of Local Landscape Significance

Gravesham Local Plan Second Review Draft Deposit Version 2000

The draft Gravesham Local Plan Second Review Deposit Version 2000 (Draft Local Plan Second Review) has been adopted by the Borough Council for development control purposes but in view of the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, and the decision by the Borough Council to replace the Local Plan with the Local Development Framework it is not being progressed any further. The policies in the plan are therefore of only limited weight.

The following other policies are relevant.

• BE1: Townscape, Conservation and Design • BE7: Statutorily Listed Buildings • BE12 – Design of New Development • NE3: Areas of Local Landscape Importance • RA1: Green Belt Boundary • RA2: Control of Development in the Green Belt

Local Development Framework A draft Core Strategy and Development Management Policies Development Plan Document (Regulation 25 document – Issues and Options) was considered by the Council’s Cabinet in December 2009 who approved the document for the purposes of public consultation.

The most relevant core strategy policies are,

Core Strategy Policy 3: Rural Area Core Strategy Policy 5: Design and Development Principles Core Strategy Policy 8: Heritage and the Historic Environment

The most relevant development management policies include,

Development Management Policy 3: Protecting Amenity Development Management Policy 4: Design Development Management Policy 9: Landscape Development Management Policy 13: Heritage and the Historic Environment

Planning Policy Guidance and Statements.

The following Government planning policy statements and guidance are relevant to the determination of this application.

PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Development (January 2005) PPS: Planning and Climate Change – Supplement to PPS1 (December 2007) PPG2: Green Belt PPS5: Planning for the Historic Environment (March 2010)

5. Reason for Report

At the request of Councillor Craske.

6. Consultations and Publicity

Higham Parish Council

The Parish Council question whether the changes can be classed as ‘minor material amendments’ and that the submission of a new planning application would be more appropriate.

The Parish Council have made comments on each of the fifty amendments applied for but note that there are more than fifty changes, as there are others on the plans. Please see Appendix 2 attached for the Parish Council’s comments on each of the proposed amendments.

Conservation Officer

The Conservation Officer has stated that insufficient information has been submitted to allow an assessment to be made on the proposal.

Kent Highways

Views awaited.

Head of Regulatory Services

Environmental Protection Comments

Views awaited.

English Heritage

English Heritage have considered the information received and do not wish to offer any comments on this occasion.

Publicity

The proposals have been advertised on site and in a local newspaper as development affecting the setting of a listed building.

The owners/occupiers of 23 adjoining dwellings have been notified of the proposals.

No comments have been received.

7. Service Manager Development Control Comments

It should firstly be noted that whilst assessing the proposed amendments against the approved scheme, it has been found that there are discontinuities between the approved floor plan and elevation drawings. This is an important consideration when having to assess the proposed amendments to the approved scheme.

The applicant has been asked to provide a set of the approved drawings with the proposed amendments drawn on the same plan, to enable an assessment to be made and to reduce the potential for any misreading of the changes.

It is considered that some of the fifty amendments identified by the applicant are of such a nature that they would be considered as minor material amendments, such as removal of windows in their entirety or moving of a window slightly in its position.

However some of the amendments are considered of such a nature that they need further consideration in terms of their scale and possible impact on neighbouring properties, in design terms and the impact on the setting of the listed building, Gads Hill Place. The drawings are also still being checked for other amendments, as some other changes have already been identified in the drawings which are not included in the applicant’s schedule of fifty amendments.

Therefore it is recommended that the applications be delegated to the Service Manager, Development Management for further consideration and assessment.

Consultation expiry date - 10 June 2011

Recommendation

Delegated to Service Manager, Development Management