planning report D&P/4192/01 26 June 2017 Bolder Academy, MacFarlane Lane, Isleworth in the London Borough of Hounslow planning application no.01106/W/P9 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 The proposal comprises demolition of existing clubhouse and construction of a secondary school. The applicant The applicant is Education Funding Agency, the agent is Cushman & Wakefield and the architect is Callison RTKL. Strategic issues summary Principle of land use: provision of school on MOL and playing fields: Pressing educational need and lack of available alternative sites are accepted as ‘very special circumstances’ which outweigh the potential harm to the MOL by reason of inappropriateness. The applicant must address the potential impact on playing fields (paragraphs 13 to 28). Community use: A community use plan agreement, which secures the use of the school’s facilities outside core hours, should be submitted and secured (paragraphs 29). Urban and inclusive design: The Council should secure key details of the cladding system to ensure the best possible build quality is delivered. The approach to inclusive design is supported and the measures proposed should be appropriately secured (paragraphs 30 to 33). Sustainable development: The carbon dioxide savings meet the target set within the London Plan. Clarification is required regarding solar gains, overheating and cooling demand, communal heating system. BRUKL worksheet and roof layout plan should be provided (paragraph 36). Transport: Revised modelling is required to assess the impact on local junctions. Concerns related to cycle parking should be addressed. The travel plan should be improved and secured by s106 agreement, and a DSP and CLP should be secured by condition, (paragraphs 37 to 49). Recommendation That Hounslow Council be advised that the application does not fully comply with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 53 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 21 April 2017 the Mayor of London received documents from Hounslow Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. The referral documents were received complete on 28 April 2017. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor had until 8 June 2017 to provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the 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 3E: “Development - (a) which does not accord with one or more provisions of the development plan in force in the area in which the application site is situated; and (b) comprises or includes the provision of more than 2,500 square metres of floor space for a use falling within any of the following classes in the Use Classes Order—(ix) class D1 (non- residential institutions).” 3 Once Hounslow 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 designated Metropolitan Open Land and located at MacFarlane Lane, north of Great West Road in the London Borough of Hounslow. The site is currently occupied by Grasshoppers Rugby Club, with Wyke Green Golf Course to the west and Goals Gillette Corner Football Club to the south. The MOL also extends into Osterley Park further to the west. 6 The site area extends to 4.5 hectares and comprises 3 sports pitches (rugby), a multi-use games area (MUGA) providing 1 football pitch and 3 netball courts, a two storey club house and parking for approximately 115 cars. A resolution to grant planning permission has been secured to relocate the Grasshoppers Rugby Club to the northern part of the Nishkam School Site (former Conquest Club, Syon Lane). The existing playing fields currently sit on three virtually flat plateaux across the development site. The levels between plateaux vary in elevation with a level difference of up to 2 metres. The surrounding land to the pitches is uneven and the levels vary considerably. In particular, the levels to the north-west of the site fall steeply down several metres to a small stream that adjoins the neighbouring golf course. page 2 7 The main vehicular access road to the site is via MacFarlane Lane, a private cul-de-sac which serves the application site, Goals Football Club, a small area of allotments and a small area of parking for a van hire business. Adjacent is a multi-storey car-park area, and a number of industrial and office buildings occupied by BSkyB (on a site designated as Strategic Industrial Land), which are served by a separate access road, although they retain a service access from Macfarlane Lane. 8 The nearest section of the Transport for London Road Network is A4 Great West Road, located approximately 480 metres south east of MacFarlane Lane. The nearest part of the Strategic Road Network is A315 London Road, approximately 1.1 kilometres south east. The nearest bus stop is around 700 metres from the proposed school entrance, beyond the bus planning standard. It serves the H28 which is a low-frequency single-decker bus which runs a zig-zag route from Tesco Osterley to Tesco Bulls Bridge. Other buses, as well as National Rail and London Underground services are further away. The public transport accessibility level (PTAL) of the site is 0, which is the lowest level of connectivity to public transport. Details of the proposal 9 The proposal comprises demolition of existing club house, associated car park and MUGA for construction of a new part-2/part-4 storeys secondary school with ancillary car parking, cycle parking, MUGA, hard and soft landscaping and associated works, together with improvements to MacFarlane Lane. Case history 10 On 31 January 2017, a pre-application meeting was held at City Hall on the above proposal (D&P/4192). The proposal was broadly supported subject to robust justifications to redevelop the site which is located in MOL. Concerns related to other strategic issues; playing fields and community use, urban and inclusive design, sustainable development and transport were required to be addressed. Strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance 11 The relevant issues and corresponding policies are as follows: Education London Plan; Mayor’s Social Infrastructure SPG; Metropolitan Open Land 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 Mayor’s Transport Strategy; 12 For the purposes of Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the development plans in force for the area is the 2015 Hounslow Local Plan and the 2016 London Plan. The National Planning Policy Framework, Technical Guide to the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Practice Guidance are also relevant material considerations. page 3 Land use principles: provision of education facility on MOL and playing fields 13 The National Planning Policy Framework and Government Policy Statement on Planning for Schools Development emphasise that great importance should be attached to the delivery of sufficient choice of school places to meet the needs of existing and new communities. London Plan Policy 3.18 ‘Education facilities’ confirms that the Mayor strongly supports the provision of new schools in response to local need. The Mayor encourages development proposals that co- locate schools with other schools and/or other uses in order to maximise land use and reduce costs. 14 The application site is part of a larger area identified as Metropolitan Open Land and playing fields. London Plan (Policy 7.17) gives MOL the same level of protection as Green Belt, and the National Planning Policy Framework (paragraph 89) sets out that only development associated with agriculture, forestry, outdoor sport and recreation, limited infilling and redevelopment of existing sites is appropriate in the Green Belt. All other forms of development are, by definition, ‘inappropriate’. In order for ‘inappropriate’ development to be acceptable in the Green Belt, very special circumstances must apply. The NPPF in Para 87 sets out that inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in ‘very special circumstances’.