T DEVELOPMENT CONTROL AND REGULATORY BOARD 19 TH JANUARY 2006 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES APPLICATION UNDER REGULATION 3 OF THE TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING GENERAL REGULATIONS LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL – ERECTION OF REPLACEMENT HIGH SCHOOL WITH SPORTS HALL, ASSOCIATED FACILITIES AND EXTERNAL WORKS – GARTREE HIGH SCHOOL, RIDGEWAY, OADBY (OADBY AND WIGSTON BOROUGH) 2005/0562/08 – 17 October 2005 Background 1. Gartree High School is one of five high schools within Leicestershire built with a form of construction known as “Intergrid”. This building method dates back from the late 1950’s and has been assessed by the Building Research Establishment as providing a lifespan of approximately 50 years. Therefore the school is approaching the end of its lifespan and is in need of replacement. This application seeks to obtain planning permission for a replacement high school building, together with a new sports hall, alteration to playing field/sports pitch configuration, and the creation of a new parking area and an access road. Description of Proposal 2. The application site is located to the south of Oadby, on the southern side of Ridgeway and Howdon Road within the urban area. To the north of Ridgeway are residential properties looking onto the site. Along Howdon Road lies Devonshire Court, a elderly persons care home. Gartree is the middle of three adjoining campuses, with The Beauchamp College (14-19 year olds) to the east, and Brocks Hill Primary School (4-10 year olds) to the west. To the south of the sites is the open countryside (including land identified in the Green Wedge). The school currently shares its access with The Beauchamp College. A continuous hedge of around 4-5ft high runs along the north of the site on the Ridgeway/ Howdon Road frontage. 3. The replacement high school is proposed to accommodate the 800 existing pupils, therefore no increase in numbers is proposed as part of this planning application. The current school has total floorspace of 5960m 2, with the new building proposed to increase this to 6880m 2. The reason for the proposed increase in floorspace is that the school is being constructed to latest DfES 2005/0562/08 – continued 3. 2005/0562/08 – continued standards, which allow for increased storage of materials, break-out spaces and staff work spaces. Furthermore, the new school would have separate dining facilities, whereas that existing has a joint assembly hall/dining hall. 4. All of the classrooms, assembly and dining hall are proposed to be accommodated in one main 3-storey building at the centre of the campus. The ground floor would be composed of 4 science labs, arts and technology classrooms, the dining hall/kitchen, together with the general office, staff areas and storage. The first floor would contain the upper dinning hall, 4 classrooms each for English, Humanities and specialised year rooms, group rooms and the library. The smaller second floor would contain 4 Maths and 4 MFL classrooms and offices. The building would have a hallway running down the middle and an internal atrium. 5. The proposed main building would be 12.8m high and be set 70m further to the south (rear) of the site than the façade of the existing school building (a total of 140m from the front of the site). It would be located 10m from the eastern boundary with Beauchamp College and 50m from the boundary with Brocks Hill School. The building would be a rectangular shape with a footprint of around 3100m 2. The finer details of exterior finishes of the buildings are to be agreed. The walls would be made from highly polished, glazed block work up to the first floor, and above this would be ceramic rain screen cladding. The roof would be a flat single layer membrane, with the atrium roof to be curved, with colours to be approved. All external windows are to be of timber construction and would be arranged in large blocks of glazing with small pains of glass. 6. There would also be an 8.5m-high single storey sports hall with a floor space of 806m 2. This would be located to the west of the proposed main school building and provide a multi-use games court, changing facilities and washing facilities. This would be located 130m from the front of the school site, and around 10m from the western boundary with Brocks Hill School. 7. The applicant states that the school buildings would have a number of sustainability measures integrated into the fabric, fixtures and fittings. The school would have low water use toilets and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems. The school would have as many openable windows as possible to maximise natural ventilation, be orientated to maximise solar gain and maximise light in classrooms. The applicant has submitted an access statement as part of the proposal to address the needs of Special Education Needs and Disability Act – 2002. This states the proposed measures relating to parking spaces, entrance and reception areas, horizontal and vertical circulation and toilets. 8. The school site would be re-configured around the location of the new building and other facilities with alterations to parking, access and sports pitches. The applicant has submitted an “Existing Conditions Report” with regard to traffic flows at the site and vehicular access options. The applicant has considered a number of access options and decided to create a new access to the north of the site, close to the junction with Howdon Road and Ridgeway, to the west of the existing shared access with Beauchamp College. The new access road would 4 2005/0562/08 – continued lead south from the entrance past a parking area to the north west of the school. It is proposed to create 104 parking spaces and a circulation area within the new school site, on top of existing parking arrangements between Gartree and Beauchamp (306 spaces). Although no increase in pupils is proposed the number of staff would increase from 85 to 88. It is also the intention of the applicant to submit a School Transport Plan. 9. The proposed development would involve the loss and gain of various areas of playing fields and field areas. The proposal would result in the retention of existing sporting facilities at the site, together with the provision of a ball court. The school shares sports pitches with Beauchamp College, composed of 3 no. football pitches, 2 no. 7-a-side football pitches, 1 no. multi-use football/rugby pitch, 1 no. rugby pitch, 1 no. running track, 1 no. long jump and 2 no. ball courts. The running track and some of the pitches will be moved around 40m to the south to accommodate the new building location. For an interim period whilst the new building is under construction and the old existing building is in use, there will be a reduction in pitches, however, once the old building is demolished there would be an increase in recreational area. 10. There are a number of trees on the site that are proposed to be protected by fencing during construction. An outline landscaping scheme has been submitted as part of the proposal which requires the removal of some of the trees, and creates a new layout of landscaped areas to the front of the school site. A habitat survey has also been submitted with the planning application. This states that there is a limited range of habitats of local importance provided by the school site. Protected species surveys have been undertaken and the only protected species on the site are nesting birds. 11. The school’s current hours operations are 07:00-22:00 Monday to Saturday and 07:00 – 17:00 on Sundays, with hire of the sports hall and some outdoor sports pitches. The hours of operation and intensity of use are not proposed to change if the new school is constructed. Planning Policy National Policy Guidance 12. Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS 1) (Delivering Sustainable Development) deals with the Government’s overall objectives for the planning system through a plan- led system, and retains the primacy of the development plan (Section 38(6) of The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). It sets out the Government's overarching planning policies on the delivery of sustainable development and creating sustainable communities while achieving other objectives such as protecting and enhancing the natural environment, the character of the countryside and existing communities; and ensuring accessibility of services by non-car modes. Planning authorities should plan positively for the achievement of high quality and inclusive design for all development, including individual buildings, public and private spaces and wider area development schemes. Good design should contribute positively to making places better for people. Design which is inappropriate in its context, or which fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions, should not be accepted. DC&REG. BOARD 19/01/2006 5 2005/0562/08 – continued 13. Planning Policy Guidance 13 – Transport (PPG13) identifies schools as major generators of travel that should be located so as to maximise their accessibility by public transport, walking and cycling. Similarly, proposals to develop, expand or redevelop existing sites should improve access by public transport, walking and cycling. Where related accommodation is to be provided, it should have ready access to the site by non-car modes. The government wants to help raise the awareness of the impact of travel plans for schools. Such plans would encourage the introduction of sustainable transport objectives including particularly the reduction in car usage and the increased use of public transport, walking and cycling.