Archived decisions

Appendix A: Consultation on the Proposed New Voluntary Aided Primary School for the Whiteley Area

Appendix B: Risk Assessment

SUPPORTING INFORMATION

Introduction

1. Hampshire County Council and the Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Education are seeking comments on the proposed new voluntary aided primary school for the Whiteley area. Following consultation with the Whiteley community in the spring of 2005, the County Council's Cabinet approved the principle of establishing a new one form entry primary school. The consultation is seeking views on both the character of the school as a church voluntary aided primary school and on the location of the school. This Briefing Paper considers the need for the school and its location, the proposed site of which lies within Winchester district.

Need for the New School

2. The Borough Council, in responding to the School Organisation Plans over a number of years, has consistently emphasised the need to progress the provision of additional primary school places within Whiteley as a matter of urgency. In response to the consultation on the 2005 revision of the Schools Organisation Plan, the Borough Council welcomed the County Council's decision, in principle, to provide a new one form entry primary school in Whiteley. The Borough Council also stated that it would assist the County Council in whatever way it could to secure a suitable site.

Potential Locations for the New School

3. Potential sites for a new primary school for the Whiteley area have been investigated since 2002. At that time, five sites within Fareham Borough and five sites within Winchester City Council's area were considered. None of the sites within Fareham Borough were considered to be suitable. Within Winchester district, the Whiteley District Church/Surgery site and recreation ground adjoining the Meadowside Centre (the open space adjoining the Whiteley District Centre) were considered to be highly suitable and two sites were considered to be unsuitable. One site, off Leafy Lane, owned by the County Council was considered to be not particularly suitable, but was a possible compromise, given the various constraints affecting the other sites.

4. The current consultation refers to three potential sites, the District Centre site and the recreation land adjoining the Meadowside Centre, that were identified as highly suitable in 2002 and the site off Leafy Lane, that was a possible compromise site. The consultation includes a summary of the serious disadvantages of the site off Leafy Lane which rules out further consideration.

5. The consultation states that the owner of the site at the District Centre is unwilling to dispose of any part of its landholding and therefore it is not the preferred location. It refers to the possible use of compulsory purchase powers to acquire the site, but states that this would delay the provision of the new school. In addition, your officers draw attention to the possible need to extend the District Centre to facilitate the expansion of Whiteley, as proposed by the Partnership of Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) in the South Hampshire Sub-Regional Strategy.

6. The recreation land adjoining the Meadowside Centre, which is owned by Winchester City Council, is identified as the preferred location. However, the use of this location would have an impact on the recreational facilities which are currently provided and is not supported by the Whiteley Parish Council for this reason. Winchester City Council would prefer not to see any changes to the recreation ground and has not agreed to sell the land to the County Council, but will decide whether to do so once it has seen the results of the consultation.

7. Development of the recreation land would not be in accordance with planning policy and a decision to allow development for the school would therefore need to be referred to the Government Office for the South East. However the consultation refers to alternative provision that could be made in the locality to allow the various recreation facilities (sports pitches, tennis courts, skateboard park, children's play area and amenity space) to be relocated. This should minimise the likelihood of the application being "called in" by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for a decision by a Planning Inspector, which could delay, or even prevent the development going ahead.

8. The consultation refers to the urban extension to the north of Whiteley which is being proposed by PUSH and the need for associated education, community and other social infrastructure, if the urban extension is approved. It states that "this would allow the local authorities to review the manner in which these services are provided across the whole of Whiteley". However, there would be a considerable delay in the provision of the new school, if it was to be located in the urban extension, as potential sites would have to be considered through the Winchester Local Development Framework process, following the adoption of the South East Plan and the strategy for South Hampshire.

Conclusions and Response to the Consultation

9. The need to secure additional primary school places to be provided within Whiteley as a matter of urgency, as previously conveyed to the County Council, remains, therefore the requirement for the new school is supported. The recreation land adjoining the Meadowside Centre, which has previously been identified as being highly suitable for a new school, represents the best opportunity to provide the new school most rapidly. There is no other suitable alternative to meet the current requirement.

10. The consultation seeks a yes/no response, together with reasons, to specific questions. The questions, together with the suggested responses are set out below:

Question: Do you support provision of a new primary school within Whiteley?

Response: Yes. The Borough Council, in its responses to previous and the current School Organisation Plan, has consistently emphasised the need to progress the provision of additional primary school places within Whiteley as a matter of urgency. In response to the consultation on the 2005 revision of the Schools Organisation Plan, the Borough Council welcomed the County Council's decision, in principle, to provide a new one form entry primary school in Whiteley.


Question: Do you support locating the school on recreation land adjoining the Meadowside Centre despite the impact on the recreation facilities?

Response: Yes. The recreation land adjoining the Meadowside Centre was compared with nine other potential sites in 2002 and, found to be highly suitable for a new school. No better site has come forward since. The impact on the recreation facilities must be balanced against the need to make good the deficiencies in primary school provision in Whiteley. In any case, the consultation refers to alternative provision that could be made in the locality to allow the various recreation facilities (sports pitches, tennis courts, skateboard park, children's play area and amenity space) to be relocated so that they will not be lost to the community.

Question: Are there other options for the provision of a school which should be considered?

Response: No. Not at the present time. Other sites have previously been considered and been found to be less suitable. Development on the site at the District Centre could prejudice opportunities to extend the centre for additional shopping facilities to serve the future expansion of Whiteley, as proposed by PUSH in the South Hampshire Sub-Regional Strategy. Whilst further school provision would be needed to serve such expansion there would be a considerable delay in the provision of the new school, which is urgently required, if it was to be located in the urban extension, as potential sites would have to be considered through the Winchester Local Development Framework process, following the adoption of the South East Plan and the strategy for South Hampshire.

Financial implications

11. There are no financial implications for the Borough Council. The County Council expects to receive contributions towards education facilities from new residential development.

Reference Papers:

Consultation on the proposed new voluntary aided primary school for the Whiteley area. Hampshire County Council and the Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Education 2006

APPENDIX B

RISK ASSESSMENT