Hampshire County Council

Executive Member, Education Item 8

27 March 2003

Winchester Early Years Centre

Report by the County Education Officer and Director of Property, Business

and Regulatory Services

1

Summary

1.1

The following decisions are sought:

That the Executive Member for Education approve:

(i) the progress made in the preparation of detailed design proposals following extensive local consultations;

(ii) the proposal to volunteer a restriction of the use of the Bereweeke Road site to an Early Years Centre only for a minimum period of twenty years in a planning agreement with Winchester City Council to accompany the Regulation 3 planning application;

(ii) the latest situation with regard to the bid to DfES that the Centre become an Early Excellence Centre.

2

Reason(s)

2.1

To progress the development of Early Years facilities in Winchester.

3

Other options considered and rejected

3.1

Alternative sites considered but no suitable alternatives identified.

4

Conflicts of interest declared by the decision-maker or a member or officer consulted

4.1

None

5

Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

5.1

None

6

Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

6.1

Not applicable

Approved by:

..........................

Date of decision:

.........................

Councillor T K Thornber

Hampshire County Council

Executive Member, Education Item 8

28 March 2003

Winchester Early Years Centre

Report by the County Education Officer and Director of Property,

Business and Regulatory Services

1

Summary

1.1

This report informs the Executive Member for Education of the outcome of local consultations and progress made in the design of the proposed Early Years Centre and the outcome of discussions with the headteacher and chair of governors of Winnall Primary School and with representatives of the Community Centre Pre-school regarding the provision of pre-school nursery facilities on the school site. The report, which was endorsed by the Special Education Needs (SEN) Panel at its meeting on the 31 January, also provides an update on the Early Excellence Centre bid to DfES.

2

Consultations

2.1

Following the last meeting of SEN Panel on the 15 October 2002, further meetings have been held with individual householders in the vicinity of the Bereweeke Road site and a further public meeting was held on the 19 November. These meetings enabled local residents and the three local City Councillors to be informed of the way in which the project had developed since the previous public meeting on the 11 June, for a report on the funding position to be given and for a presentation of the design proposals previously presented to the Panel.

2.2

The presentation led to a number of constructive questions and comments, including the following:

· The need for revised parking restrictions on Bereweeke Road

· Concerns over arrangements to manage vehicles entering and leaving the site

· Details of the tree planting scheme

· The location and likely timing of any provision of a hydrotherapy pool as an extension to the Centre

· The possibility of double yellow lines being provided on Bereweeke Road

· Arrangements to minimise the impact of construction

· Staggering of the Early Years Centre timetable to avoid peak traffic flows in the area

· Positioning of any security lights and caretaking arrangements

· Legal restrictions on the use of the site

· Opportunities for consultation at the time of the submission of the planning application.

2.3

The above questions and comments have been used to modify the detailed design of the Centre and will influence the content of the application for planning approval.

2.4

The design proposals were well received, particularly the attention to boundary treatments and proposals for the form of the building and its materials to fit into the style of the surrounding area.

3

Design of the New Building

3.1

The design of the building and external works has progressed since the last report to the Executive Member. General arrangement plan, sections and elevations have now been prepared in preparation for a future planning application.

3.2

As a result of further consultations with the Friends of Medecroft, the design of a possible hydrotherapy pool has been incorporated into the scheme. No funding is currently identified but it was appropriate to indicate how the facility would fit with the design to enable potential fund-raising opportunities to be pursued. The Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services has produced a sketch scheme only and further work will only take place if additional funds are secured.

3.3

The design of the Centre has now developed to show the form and materials of the building in more detail. It is intended to construct the building with steeply pitched roofs and masonry walls of facing brickwork to complement the appearance and scale of surrounding buildings in the Bereweeke Road area.

3.4

Because of the delay in a decision by the DfES referred to later in this report in paragraph 7, members of the SEN Panel were informed that the design team would complete the scheme design and wait until there was confirmation of this funding prior to committing resources to proceed to the next stage. It was considered prudent not to engage in the next time-consuming phase of development without the scope of works and funding being fixed. This will unfortunately have an effect in delaying the target completion date but is nevertheless considered appropriate to avoid committing the County Council to undue risk and the consequences of abortive professional time.

4

Planning and Statutory Approvals

4.1

The development of the Early Years Centre forms part of the Strategy for the Improved Use of Education Properties in Winchester which was endorsed by the Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel on the 3 February and approved by the Executive Member, Policy and Resources on the 13 February. It is intended that an application for a Regulation 3 planning approval for the proposed development will be submitted for determination by the County Council`s Regulatory Committee upon confirmation of funding, completion of the design and following consultation with Winchester City Council and local residents.

4.2

This application will involve additional consultations as a result of changes to Planning Policy Guidance No. 17 (Sport and Recreation). Initial discussions have been held with Sport England which is one of the statutory consultees involved in such a planning application and further discussions will be held with Winchester City Council regarding its strategy for the provision of recreation space within the City.

4.3

The contribution which the Early Years Centre would make to the provision of education facilities in Winchester and its links to the redevelopment of surplus land at Greenacres School and the former Lankhills School sites, was highlighted in the strategy report referred to in 4.1 above.

4.4

The sale of the Greenacres site will contribute to the funding of the Early Years Centre and it will be necessary to seek the consent of the Secretary of State to the sale of the Greenacres site under the rules for the disposal of grounds under the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998. Local consultations will be commencing shortly and will continue for a period of ten term time weeks. This will give schools in the area and members of the local community an opportunity to comment on the disposal of the Greenacres School which will be vacated once the replacement facilities are completed at Shepherds Down School, Compton.

5

Restrictions on Alternative Use of the Bereweeke Road Site

5.1

The SEN Panel has suggested that as a condition of seeking planning consent for the Early Years use that restrictions on the alternative use of the site would be voluntarily imposed by the County Council, for a minimum of 20 years, in the light of expectations that the site would have been restored to playing fields upon the cessation of its temporary use as a home for the St Bede CE(C) Primary School.

5.2

It is proposed that a planning agreement be entered into with Winchester City Council to this effect. By entering into such a voluntary agreement the County Council would be able to demonstrate that its proposals for the use of the site, within the reasonably foreseeable future, were limited to its aspirations to successfully construct and operate the Early Years Centre.

5.3

Detailed design drawings are currently being prepared with a view to the submission of a project appraisal and planning application once funding has been confirmed.

6

Proposed Provision of Pre-School Facilities at Winnall Primary School

6.1

The Executive Member for Education will recall that there is a project to develop funded nursery provision at Winnall Primary School. In the light of concerns expressed by the St John's pre-school which has recently re-located to the Winnall Community Centre, a meeting was convened by the Executive Member for Education on 6 December 2002. In addition to the Executive Member and officers, also present were County Councillors Peskett and McNair Scott, the headteacher and chair of governors of Winnall Primary School as well as representatives of the pre-school and support organisations. The purpose of the meeting was to reassure the pre-school that it would not be adversely affected by the proposed project at Winnall Primary School.

6.2

There was agreement at the meeting that the demographic profile of three year olds in the general area should be updated on the basis of recent national census results. Notwithstanding that data exercise, there was overall acceptance that the County Council should adopt a strategic approach to the provision of funded nursery education in this part of Winchester. The head and chair of governors of Winnall Primary School expressed total commitment to the proposed scheme and, following discussion, colleagues present supported the overall strategy for this area.

6.3

The Executive Member promised that communication both with the pre-school at the Community Centre and with the primary school would continue to be a priority and that he would convene another meeting if that was felt to be appropriate.

7

Early Excellence Centre Bid

7.1

Previous reports of the SEN Panel mentioned that there was an expectation that the County Council would receive the outcome of its bid for the Early Years Centre to be an Early Excellence Centre by the end of October 2002. Having received no news by mid-December, officers made contact with HMI Bradley who advises the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on matters to do with Early Excellence Centres. A reply was received from HMI Bradley on 17 December 2002 to the effect that no decision had been made about the proposals which had been prepared for Ministerial approval in the autumn but that the County Education Officer would be receiving a letter from Sure Start asking whether any reduction in capital and revenue costs could be made.

7.2

Underlying these developments are issues arising out of the summer spending review, one of which relates to the development of Children's Centres based on service being developed in the 20% most deprived wards nationally. Hampshire's view is that this approach should not be applied to bids for Early Excellence Centres which preceded the Children's Centres policy. However, funding is via the same route and the bids for Early Excellence Centres are being overseen by those who are developing Children's Centres.

7.3

A meeting took place on 15 January 2003 at which officers had an opportunity to meet HMI Bradley to receive an update on the latest situation and to seek advice on how best to respond to the DfES letter asking for proposals to reduce capital and revenue expenditure on the Winchester project. There was discussion on the reasons why it was felt that no modifications to the scheme could be recommended. HMI Bradley informed officers that Hampshire's bid is in a short list of sixteen. A decision on the outcome of the bids will be made in early February and bidders should receive news by the end of February at the earliest.

7.4

A letter was sent to the DfES on 29 January which, amongst other things, emphasised Hampshire County Council's total commitment to this scheme in terms of its capital funding strategy; the flagship nature of the scheme; the fact that an inclusive Early Years Centre is at its heart; and that the centre will have a recognised role to provide outreach to the greater Winchester area, in particularly to those parts, both urban and rural, which have social and economic deprivation.

7.5

The DfES has been aware of the principles underlying this project for a number of years and their officials have given consistent recognition to the quality of the scheme and the significant place it would hold as far as Hampshire's strategic development of early years centres is concerned.

Recommendations:

That the Executive Member for Education approve:

1

the progress made in the preparation of detailed design proposals following extensive local consultations;

2

the proposal to volunteer a restriction of the use of the Bereweeke Road site to an Early Years Centre only for a minimum period of twenty years in a planning agreement with Winchester City Council to accompany the Regulation 3 planning application;

3

the latest situation with regard to the bid to DfES that the Centre become an Early Excellence Centre.