(ES.16/03) Branston Road High School, Tatenhill, Burton- upon-Trent Response to the East Staffordshire Borough Council Response to the (ES.16/03) Branston Road High School Planning Application The short note below provide a response to the ‘key issues’ raised in the response to the Planning Application ES.16/03 Proposed High School, Branston Road, Tatenhill (March 2016) prepared by East Staffordshire Borough Council (ESBC). The note responds to the key points raised and each of the objections summarised in their report: 1. How the development responds to the three key tests in Policy SP10: • Demonstration of need within a wider strategy; • The suitability of the location; and • An assessment of impacts in accordance with SP1. 2. Design: • Concerns over the scale and massing and how the building relates to its immediate context and the design of the proposal in terms of its lack of sensitivity to the rural setting. Object to the proposals in accordance with policies DP1 and SP24. 3. Historic Environment: • The Borough Council objects to the proposal based upon the impact on the Tatenhill Conservation Area contrary to policy SP25. 4. Transport/ Access: • The Borough Council objects on the basis of Policy SP1 because it is not convenient or safe to walk to the school. 5. Neighbourhood Plan Polices: • The Borough Council objects on the basis that the proposal does not conform to Neighbourhood Plan policy SP3, LC1 and RT1. Need and wider strategy The secondary school strategy throughout the Local Plan period is modelled on the housing trajectory provided by East Staffordshire Borough Council (ESBC). As referenced in Section 4.0 of the Planning Statement, the Cambridge Education Study (2013) jointly commissioned by ESBC and Staffordshire County Council (SCC), confirmed that there was a need for an additional 14 – 15 form entry (FE) school pupil places required over the ESBC Local Plan period to 2031, and that these places could not be met through existing school sites. The short term capacity requirement across the Burton area is 10FE by September 2020 and the strategy to deliver this is as follows: • 8FE provided at the proposed Branston Road High School in September 2018 • 2FE provided at Paulet High School and/or Blessed Robert Sutton Catholic High School by September 2019. 1 (ES.16/03) Branston Road High School, Tatenhill, Burton- upon-Trent The long term strategy requires a further 4 - 5FE as follows: • Up to 3FE by September 2023 and based on the continued housing growth in de Ferrers, Abbot Beyne and Paget catchment; two of these schools would be expanded. • A further 1 - 2FE from September 2027 to address the remaining housing development through the expansion of existing schools. All expansions are: • Subject to gaining planning approval for suitable schemes; • Subject to sufficient funding being available; and • Subject to the agreement of the relevant governing body or trust. As the Cambridge Education Study (2013) identifies, ‘Forecasts indicate that there will be a shortage of places in the secondary sector, which will begin in 2015/16 (a need for 1.3FE), rising gradually to 2019/20 (8.1 FE needed) but rising after that to 10.3 FE in 2022/23 and potentially to 14.2 FE by the end of the planning period’ . The proposed delivery of a new 8FE secondary school was a decision taken as there is insufficient opportunity to expand the capacity of existing Burton secondary schools to meet the number of additional places needed. This strategy addresses the need to deliver additional places up to 2020 to meet existing demand and additional growth required from new housing in the West, in one single project which is the most cost effective strategy and represents value for money to the taxpayers of East Staffordshire. As indicated in the AMEC Report (2014) the maximum capacity that can be delivered at existing schools is 7FE. If the strategy was to expand existing schools first there would be shortfall of 1FE in Burton west by 2019 and therefore a new secondary school is still necessary in order to deliver the full 8FE required. In order to address the 1FE shortfall from 2019 the new school could not be built and operated as a 1FE secondary school. It is to be noted that 85% of secondary schools built by the County Council are 5FE or larger and none are smaller than 4FE. A new school opening with 4 - 5FE, in order to address the shortfall of 1FE, would mean a significant overprovision of places. It would not be possible for the school sponsor to open with 1FE of pupils from a financial, operational, curriculum or safeguarding viewpoint. To ensure its viability the new school would have to fill closer to its capacity which would destabilise existing schools. This approach would therefore create empty classrooms and excess surplus places across the town, which will need to be maintained at a financial burden to the schools. The optimum time for delivery of the new school is in September 2018, when there is the largest projected growth in the number of Year 7, 8 & 9 pupils due to existing demand and additional pupils expected to be generated from new housing. In order to safeguard future provision outside of the Local Plan the County Council is currently in negotiations to take out options on land to provide additional places. Due to confidentiality and to maintain our commercial position further details cannot be provided until these options have been secured. As detailed in the planning application documents, the school has been designed to allow for future expansion if this is appropriate as part of the long term strategy, as detailed in Section 3:07 and 4:04 of the Design and Access Statement. 2 (ES.16/03) Branston Road High School, Tatenhill, Burton- upon-Trent The County Council has decided not to build a larger school on this site to avoid putting other local schools at risk, as there would be too much short term capacity in the local area. The immediate need is for an 8FE secondary school and further demand is not expected until post 2020 meaning that the capital investment needed for a secondary school in excess of 8FE is not currently viable. The school has been designed to allow for future expansion based on the actual needs of pupil places rather than on forecasted figures which may change over the Plan period as new development comes forward. Any proposals to expand the school in the future would be subject to a new planning application which would again be assessed in accordance with the relevant policies of the development framework, environmental considerations including landscape and highways, and the need for secondary school places. Whilst the planning application makes clear that expansion is possible and the design has taken this into consideration, it is an 8FE secondary school and the associated planning and environmental considerations that are the subject of this planning application, and not a larger school. Suitable location The site was identified as part of Staffordshire County Council’s Burton upon Trent Schools Site Search report (2014) which sought to identify suitable, available and deliverable sites for delivery of a new secondary school. The report identified this site as one of a possible five sites which were shortlisted – all of which were adjacent but outside the settlement boundary. Following an assessment against the criteria set out in the AMEC Report (2014), Staffordshire County Council has managed to secure options on this site, known as Tatenhill Lane Fields, to meet the needs of the demand for future school places. Many factors were considered such as: • Proximity to population and growth locations; • Proximity to existing secondary schools; • Size, shape, orientation, topography, flooding; • Ownership and availability. The report identifies that this site is well placed to serve the main growth areas and well positioned in relation to the location of other secondary schools. The availability of the site met the need to provide secondary school places by September 2018, it’s in a suitable location to the West of Burton and represents best value of money for council taxpayers. The report concludes that Greenfield development presents better opportunities for education infrastructure. The school will satisfy an immediate need for secondary school places, is located as such that it will be accessible to new and existing residents, and will be reachable through safe and sustainable transport methods. 3 (ES.16/03) Branston Road High School, Tatenhill, Burton- upon-Trent Figure 1.0 – BB103 Gross Site Areas Secondary School Size Minimum Average Maximum Gross Site Gross Site Gross Site (acres) (acres) (acres) 5FE (750 pupils + 150 post 16) 13.59 15.16 16.73 8FE (1200 pupils + 240 post 16) 20.26 22.70 25.14 10FE (1500 pupils + 300 post 16) 24.71 27.72 30.73 12FE (1800 pupils + 360 post 16) 29.15 32.74 36.34 Review of shortlisted sites As indicated in section 4.11 of the Planning statement, a total of fourteen sites were considered for a possible new secondary school and following a filtering process based on a selection criteria including topography and flood plain, a total of five sites were retained which included the following: • Site 1 – Beamhill; • Site 2 – Henhurst; • Site 3 – Shobnall; • Site 4 – Branston Road (South); • Site 5 - Branston Road (North). Site 1 – Beamhill This site is currently owned by SCC, approx. 15 acres in size so would need additional land to be procured around it. It presently sits annexed from the development of Burton Town, however, if and when the Beam Hill development is brought forward then the site will be on the periphery of the development.