Pre-planning Consultation – Proposal for College House Redevelopment

This consultation will run between Friday 14 March and Monday 14 April 2025.

What is being proposed?

College House and its ancillary building, The Hive, have been empty since Eastleigh College vacated the site and it was agreed for the lease to be returned to Hampshire County Council as the owners of the land.  Officers have been investigating a variety of options for the site and have valued the input from local residents on the future use of the site, specifically their input to alleviate ongoing parking and access issues.

It is proposed that The Hive building becomes part of Shepherds Down Special School and will be refurbished into special educational needs teaching accommodation for foundation stage (Year R) and Key Stage 1 pupils (Year 1 and Year 2) consisting of three classrooms, a therapy room, a sensory room, a small group room and staff offices.  The building is close enough to the main school’s accommodation to enable students to access facilities, such as the main hall, specialist teaching spaces and specialist therapy rooms, if required. The new provision will provide an area for outdoor teaching and play space for pupils, which forms part of the National Curriculum.  Information on the proposed refurbishment.

As part of these proposals, the remainder of the College House building will be demolished (subject to a separate permitted development application), which can be seen in this plan. This will allow for improved access to Shepherds Down Special School from The Hive building and will allow space for an additional 12 staff car parking bays (including two accessible spaces) and two minibus bays to be provided, plus seven drop offs spaces, which can be seen in this plan. It is hoped that this will alleviate access issues along Shepherds Lane at the peak drop off and pick up times.

Why does the proposal involve the demolition of College House?

The accommodation at both College House and The Hive have been assessed for its suitability for conversion into special needs teaching accommodation. For College House, the age of the building and the internal layout means that it is not suitable and would be more costly to refurbish than The Hive building due to presence of loadbearing walls.  A feasibility study was undertaken in January 2025 which concluded that considerable additional investment would be required to convert College House into suitable accommodation appropriate for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) children and it would be more cost effective and environmentally friendly to carry out the refurbishment as shown in these proposals. 

Demolishing College House will provide land to expand the staff car parking, plus enable pupil drop-off bays to serve both the main building and the new classroom facilities in the repurposed Hive building. It is hoped that this will alleviate car parking issues along Shepherds Lane.  Finally, the additional land will provide space for external play area for pupils taught in the refurbished Hive building. 

Does this mean that Shepherds Down Special School will have additional pupils?

In September 2024, following public consultation, Shepherds Down Special School increased its capacity to 190 4-11 year olds and caters for pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), and Profound, Multiple, Severe and Complex Learning Disabilities.  Additional accommodation adjacent to the main school was provided to support this increase.  However, the additional car parking required was delayed and forms part of this proposal.

The additional classrooms, ancillary accommodation and external play spaces provided by this proposal at The Hive will allow a self-contained provision for Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception) and Key Stage 1 pupils.  This will provide improved specialist educational accommodation and enhance the learning experience of the current pupils on roll. 

However, there is ongoing consistent demand for specialist school places across Hampshire.  The Department of Education guidance allows schools to admit 10% more than the agreed placement number (currently 190), however tribunals and successful appeals may force a school to take beyond even this number.  The Local Authority and the school continue to provide significant information and capacity assessments to avoid over-occupancy however placements can still be enforced.

Will the development increase traffic problems in an already congested area?

The proposals address previous concerns raised by local residents regarding increased traffic associated the school site. The provision of 16 parking bays within the College House site had been agreed with Eastleigh College, which will remain once the lease has been returned to Hampshire County Council.  The proposals aim to offer a long-term solution by making these parking bays permanent, along with an additional 12 staff parking bays (including two accessible spaces), two minibus spaces, and seven drop offs spaces.  This will result in 37 permanent parking bays.

To prevent any disruption to parking during the building works, the car parking will be phased to ensure that 16 spaces remain available to staff.  Temporary access to the car park will be created as part of this phased work.

When will the building works start and how will you ensure the health and safety of pupils attending the school whilst the works are taking place?

If approved, it is planned that College House would be demolished during the winter 2025/26 and building works to renovate The Hive would start during spring/summer 2026 and be completed and operational by September 2026.

Health and safety of children, staff and visitors is paramount. The County Council works with construction partners who have significant experience of working on school sites. A detailed health and safety plan will be drawn up with the school. The construction site is ideally isolated and will be kept secure from the current school and community during construction.

How will construction traffic be managed?

A construction traffic management plan will be developed to ensure safe and considerate movement of vehicles around the site during the construction period.

Will I have the opportunity to discuss the proposal and ask questions?

A drop in event has been arranged and will provide an opportunity for parents, carers and stakeholders to discuss the proposals with Hampshire County Council officers. The event will be held on Wednesday 26 March 2025 between 3:30pm and 6pm at Shepherds Down Special School, Shepherds Lane, Compton, Winchester, SO21 2AJ.

If you wish to make a comment on these proposal, please write to Ian Doutch, Capital Finance & Operations Manager, Children’s Services Department, Elizabeth II Court, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UG or by email to: [email protected] by Monday 14 April 2025.

What happens after this consultation?

This consultation will run until Monday 14 April 2025. Officers will then take into consideration all the consultation responses, prior to the submission of the planning application which is expected to be submitted by the end of April 2025.  You will also have the opportunity to comment on the planning application once it has been submitted.