Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

1. Executive Summary

1.1. Explanation of Application

This planning application went before Regulatory Committee on 27 May 2009, but was deferred for more information regarding the number of car parking spaces and the provision of cycle racks.

Planning permission is sought for the conversion of the existing 3 Form Entry (FE) Junior school building into a 1 FE Primary school, with the demolition of the existing 3 FE Infant school and playground for the construction of a grass playing pitch at Woodcroft Primary School (formerly Meadowlands Junior and Infant School) 35-37 Woodcroft Lane, Waterlooville PO8 9QD.

Meadowlands Infant and Junior Schools have been suffering with falling pupil numbers over the past five years, leading to a decision by the Executive Member for Children's Services to amalgamate to a single 1 FE Primary School.

1.2. Issues covered in report

A local resident has raised highway safety concerns about the location of the proposed contractors' entrance to the site.

1.3. Recommendation and Reasons for decision

It is recommended that planning permission for the conversion of the existing 3 Form Entry Junior School building into a 1 Form Entry Primary School, with the demolition of the existing 3 Form Entry Infant School and playground for the construction of a grass playing pitch at Woodcroft School (formally Meadowlands Junior and Infant School), 35-37 Woodcroft Lane, Waterlooville, PO8 9QD (Application No. 09/59532/002), be granted for the following reasons, subject to the conditions in Appendix 1.

It is considered that the proposal would be in accordance with the development plan (summary attached as Appendix 2) and would not materially harm the character of the area as the design is of high quality (Policy No D1) and complements the immediate landscape (Policy L7). The development would be acceptable in terms of highway safety and convenience.

2. Site and proposal

2.1. Meadowlands Junior and Infant School is located at the edge of Lovedean housing estate.

2.2. The majority of the School boundary is bordered by mature trees with some undergrowth, except to the east and north where a couple of rows of houses look directly onto the School site.

2.3. The site measures 2.68 hectares in total with the existing gross internal floor space measuring 3,163 square metres.

2.4. Vehicular access to the site is from Woodcroft Lane, a residential road with footways on both sides. The main entrance to the site is situated almost opposite Woodcroft Gardens, a residential cul-de-sac. There are two pedestrian access points onto the School site; the first being at the main vehicular entrance and the second to the south west of the site from a footpath.

2.5. Meadowlands Junior and Infant School caters for pupils aged from 4 to 11 years. The original 2 FE school buildings were constructed in 1968 and were extended to 3 FE in 1971, increasing their capacity to 270 and 360 pupils respectively.

2.6. Falling pupil numbers over the past five years have meant that the current numbers on role are 78 and 130 respectively, which has led to the proposed amalgamation of the schools to create Woodcroft Primary School.

2.7. The proposed works consist of a complete refurbishment and alterations to the existing Junior School building by the County Council to create a 1 FE (210 pupils) Primary School with provision for 50 pupils pre-school. This will be complete with external teaching and play areas and a new grass pitch, the latter to be formed following the demolition and removal of the Infant School building and playground.

2.8. The refurbishment of the existing building will improve pedestrian access and the teaching and learning environment for all, with improved facilities both internally and externally. The building has been designed to be more energy efficient with a new boiler system, re-wiring and lighting. Sections of the building will be re-clad with improved thermal performance and improved ventilation to reduce problems from solar gain.

2.9. In order to facilitate construction work, it is proposed that the whole of Woodcroft Primary School operates temporarily from the existing Infant School building for two terms, from September 2009 until the Easter school holidays in 2010. The school will then move into the refurbished (ex-Junior School) building, complete with external hard spaces. The Infant School will then be demolished, the playground removed and a pitch formed and seeded, for use after a minimum of two growing seasons. It is proposed that the Primary School site will be fully operational (apart from the grass pitch) from September 2010.

3. Development plan

3.1. Havant Borough District Wide Local Plan (Adopted 30 September 2005) shows the site to be within the built-up urban area. The proposal is in accordance with the following policies: D1 (High Quality Design) and L7 (New Landscape Works).

4. Consultations

4.1. The local Member, Councillor West, supports the application.

4.2. Havant Borough Council has no objection, subject to consideration of the impact on parking on the residential property to the north and the trees in this vicinity.

4.3. Environment Agency has no objection, subject to the inclusion of:

(i) a condition requesting a surface water drainage scheme for the site detailing how the scheme shall be maintained and managed;

(ii) a condition specifying the method that should be undertaken if contamination of the site were to occur; and

(iii) a condition requesting a scheme which details the storing of oil, chemicals or other potentially polluting/hazardous materials.

4.4. Sport England has no objection subject to conditions.

4.5. Highway Authority has no objection subject to the inclusion of:

(i) a condition restricting the hours construction vehicles enter/leave the site;

(ii) a full travel plan being submitted; and

(iii) details and implementation of the pedestrian access arrangements.

5. Representations

5.1. A letter of objection was received by a resident living directly opposite the proposed contractors' site entrance. Concerns have been raised regarding the location of this entrance on highway safety grounds.

6. Additional information requested from Regulatory Committee 27 May 2009

6.1. At present there are two schools on this site, Meadowlands Junior and Infant 3 FE School. The current parking provisions of 32 spaces are in place for 21 classrooms. This proposal allows for 20 car parking spaces, plus one motor cycle space and one disabled vehicle space for the new 1 FE Woodcroft Primary School. The new School will cater for primary and pre-school teaching.

6.2. Seven classrooms are proposed for primary school teaching. The maximum provision for a school, as quoted in the Hampshire Parking - Strategy and Standards Appendix, is 1.5 car parking spaces per classroom. Consequently for the seven proposed classrooms there should be 10.5 (rounded up to 11) spaces.

6.3. For pre-school teaching there will be seven full time members of staff to cover the two classrooms as a higher staff to pupil ratio is required. Once again from the Hampshire Parking Standards for a pre-school, the maximum provision should be 1.5 spaces per two full time staff, as a result for this proposal 5.25 (rounded up to six) car parking spaces should be provided for.

6.4. Therefore the proposal is providing 20 car parking spaces as well as one disabled bay and motor cycle bay, which exceeds the maximum Hampshire Parking standard requirement of 17.

6.5. Community use of the School football pitch will take place outside of School hours. Therefore all car parking spaces will be available to the community users. However, if necessary, the top netball court is available as an overflow car park and this could provide roughly another 25 spaces.

6.6. It is anticipated that the catchment area for this use will be local and therefore a lot of users will travel by foot to the site. This is likely to reduce demand for parking.

6.7. Currently there is no cycle parking provided. A travel survey was carried out at the existing Infant and Junior Schools and within this survey 22 pupils indicated a possible wish to cycle to School. 12 cycle bays have been provided for in the proposal, because it is thought that it is only appropriate for the older year pupils to be considered for cycling to school. Additionally there should be provision for cycle use by staff and visitors. If cycling proves to be popular, there is space on site to provide up to 24 cycle bays in total.

7. Commentary

7.1. The proposed plans for Woodcroft Primary School will mean better pedestrian access to the site's main entrance and improved School facilities, to include an acoustically isolated music/drama room, ICT rooms, revised and upgraded teaching rooms and recreational space for both primary and pre-school users.

7.2. The exterior of the buildings will not be dramatically altered by the refurbishment. The smaller two-storey Junior School block will be re-clad to improve thermal performance. Improved ventilation will be incorporated into the first floor of the two-storey elements to further reduce solar gain.

7.3. The Highway Authority has been informed of the local resident's concerns. The Authority believes that the location of the contractors' site entrance is suitable, as it is on a bend, with adequate visibility for traffic entering or exiting the site. The number of vehicles entering the site is not expected to cause congestion on the road. However, if congestion does arise, there is a lay-by adjacent to the contractors entrance which is of a suitable size for vehicles to pull into and therefore off the main carriageway.

7.4. In respect of Havant District Council's comments, a further landscape plan, P6724-l705, was submitted to show fencing along the boundary of the neighbouring property at 39 Woodcroft Lane. Additional planting is also detailed to further screen the parking and neighbouring boundary; it will also improve the first impressions of the School site.

7.5. The Schools sports pitch overlies at least four metres of impermeable stiff clay. To overcome the issue of potential surface water collection, the site has been designed to have a network of land drains in granular surround. Underground cellular storage is also proposed to run along the eastern part of the southern boundary of the sports pitch. To enable the pitch to accommodate a 1 in 100 year flood a 250 millimetre high grass bund is proposed along the eastern boundary and half way along both the northern and southern boundaries of the sports pitch. This will enable the sports pitch to flood itself and therefore not impact on neighbouring land. Currently grass areas on the School site are water logged and not suitable for frequent use, it is thought that by installing the land drains the day to day condition of the sports pitch will be improved.

7.6. Following consultation with Sport England an initial objection was raised. This was on four grounds. The main concerns raised were with regard to the size of the grass pitch and netball court. It was deemed necessary that the grass pitch should meet under 11/12 football pitch requirements and that the netball court should meet minimum standards. Following the submission of an additional plan to show that the size requirements for both could be met, the objection was withdrawn. However, another area of concern for Sport England was the construction method for the new grass sports pitch and a condition is recommended which states that a scheme should be submitted to demonstrate that quality requirements will be met. As a pitch of sufficient size for under 11/12s is now to be provided Sport England maintain their request for a Community Use Scheme so that in the future, if the demand arose, the School would be in the position to offer their pitch facilities to the wider community to benefit the development of sport. A condition is recommended requesting the submission of a Community Use scheme prior to the commencement of development.

7.7. Concerns were raised previously at Regulatory Committee regarding the number of allocated car parking spaces for both School and community use and the number of cycle bays. It is thought that the car parking space provision is sufficient for the proposed Woodcroft School as it exceeds the maximum agreed Hampshire Parking Standards and includes one motor cycle bay and disabled bay. The number of car parking spaces to be provided is also considered adequate for any Community Use, as all spaces will be available as such use will take place outside of school hours. 12 cycle bays are to be provided following a School travel survey and this is again considered satisfactory.

7.8. In summary, approval of the application is recommended as it will improve the School facilities and teaching environment for the existing pupils. There are no overriding material objections and any concerns have been considered and adequately met.

8. Recommendation

8.1. That planning permission for the conversion of the existing 3 Form Entry Junior School building into a 1 Form Entry Primary School, with the demolition of the existing 3 Form Entry Infant School and playground for the construction of a grass playing pitch at Woodcroft School (formally Meadowlands Junior and Infant School), 35-37 Woodcroft Lane, Waterlooville, PO8 9QD (Application No. 09/59532/002), be granted for the following reasons, subject to the conditions in Appendix B.

8.2. It is considered that the proposal would be in accordance with the development plan (summary attached as Appendix C) and would not materially harm the character of the area as the design is of high quality (Policy No D1) and complements the immediate landscape (Policy L7). The development would be acceptable in terms of highway safety and convenience.

Links to the Corporate Strategy

CONDITIONS

Time Limits:

9. The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date on which this planning permission was granted.

Reason: To comply with Section 91 (as amended) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Hours of Working:

10. No work relating to the construction of the development approved, including works of preparation prior to operations, the delivery of construction materials, skips or machinery, nor the removal of waste materials, shall take place before 0800 or after 1800 hours Monday to Friday inclusive, before 0800 or after 1400 hours on Saturday and not at all on Sunday or recognised public holidays unless otherwise agreed beforehand in writing with the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: To protect the amenities of occupiers of nearby properties.

Materials:

11. Samples and/or details of the materials and finishes to be used for the external walls and roofs of the proposed buildings shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority in writing before the development commences.

Reason: In the interests of visual amenity and to secure a satisfactory development.

Highways:

12. No construction traffic shall enter or exit the site at the beginning (0815-0915 hours) or end (1445-1545 hours) of the school day.

Reason: In the interests of highway safety.

13. Prior to occupation for purposes pursuant to the planning permission approved School Travel Plan shall be provided.

Reason: To reduce reliance on the private car.

14. No works shall commence on site until such time as the details of the pedestrian access arrangements as shown in principle on drawing P6724-P102 have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: To ensure a safe and appropriate access to the highways.

15. No occupation of the site for purposes pursuant to the planning permission shall take place until such time as the pedestrian access arrangements as shown in principle on drawing P6724-P102 have been constructed to the written satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: To ensure a safe and appropriate access to the highway.

Landscaping:

16. The fencing illustrated on plan P6724-L705 dated 9 March 2009, which borders 39 Woodcroft Lane, shall be implemented as approved prior to commencement of the development.

Reason: To protect the amenity of the neighbouring resident.

17. The approved landscape detailed on plan P6724-L705 shall be carried out in the first planting and seeding season following the occupation of the buildings or the completion of the development, whichever is the sooner. Any plants of trees which, within a period of five years from the date of planting, die are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased, shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species, unless the Local Planning Authority gives written consent to any variation.

Reason: To improve the appearance of the site in the interests of visual amenity.

18. The tree belt to be retained along the western and southern boundary of the School site shall be protected during development of the site and appropriate measures shall be taken to ensure no adverse impact on the tree belt.

Reason: For the enhancement and protection of local amenities and biodiversity.

Environment Control:

19. Development shall not begin until a surface water drainage scheme for the site, based on sustainable drainage principles and an assessment of the hydrological and hydrogeological context of the development, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The scheme shall subsequently be implemented in accordance with the approved details before the development is completed.

The scheme shall include:

(i) details of how the surface water run-off generated by the 1 in 100 year storm event plus 30% (to allow for an increase in storm intensity with climate change in line with table B.2 of PPS25) for the proposed recreational area will be maintained on site; and

(ii) details of how the scheme shall be maintained and managed after completion.

Reason: To prevent the increased risk of flooding, to improve and protect water quality and ensure future maintenance of the surface water drainage system.

20. The development hereby permitted shall not be commenced until such time as a scheme to store oil, chemicals or other potentially polluting/hazardous materials has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority. Any such scheme shall be supported by detailed information, to include what substances are to be stored on site and how they are to be stored. The scheme shall be fully implemented and subsequently maintained, in accordance with the scheme, or any changes as may subsequently be agreed, in writing, by the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: The site lies within a Source Protection Zone 1 (SPZ1) for the Lovedean potable water supply. The geology in the area is also prone to solution features. As such, public drinking water supplies are potentially at risk from activities during the construction and demolition phases of this development.

21. If, during development, contamination not previously identified is found to be present at the site, then no further development (unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority) shall be carried out until the developer has submitted to, and obtained written approval from, the Local Planning Authority for an amendment to the remediation strategy detailing how this unsuspected contamination shall be dealt with.

Reason: To protect the secondary aquifer and groundwater Source Protection Zone 1 beneath the site from contamination. There may be areas of contamination on site that are not identified and characterised prior to commencement of development.

22. No development hereby permitted shall commence until a Management Plan for the control of noise and dust from construction works has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall thereafter not be carried out otherwise than in full accordance with the approved Plan.

Reason: To safeguard the amenities of the locality and occupiers of neighbouring property.

Access and Quality of Sports Facilities:

23. No development shall commence until details of a scheme to ensure the quality of the construction of the new playing pitch is submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority after consultation with Sport England. The works should be sufficient to ensure that the quality of the playing pitch meets the requirements of the proposed nature and intensity of school and community use. The approved construction scheme shall be implemented in full prior to the commencement of use of the development and subsequent management shall be in full accordance with the approved programme.

Reason: To ensure that the sports pitches are of an appropriate quality and fit for purpose for use as playing fields.

24. Prior to commencement of the development, a Community Use Agreement for the grass 11 to 12's football pitch, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme shall be implemented by commencement of use of the development.

Reason: To ensure a well managed community access is achieved with sufficient benefit to the development of sport.

Annexe to Reasons for Conditions

(as required by Article 22 of the Town and Country Planning

(General Procedure) Order 1995 - as amended)

HAVANT BOROUGH DISTRICT - WIDE (ADOPTED 30 SEPTEMBER 2005):

Policy L6 - Conservation and protection of existing natural features

Development will not be permitted if it would damage or destroy natural features of nature conservation and/or amenity importance on a site, eg trees, woodlands, hedgerows, streams, ditches or ponds. Some of these features may have additional protection under the Hedgerow Regulations, by Tree Preservation Order or by location in a Conservation Area. Existing natural features shall be protected during development and sympathetically incorporation into the overall design of the scheme with measure taken to ensure their continued survival.

Policy L7 - New Landscape works:

Planning permission for new development proposals will be granted subject to provision being made for new landscape works to enable the development to integrate successfully into the local environment. Landscape proposals should incorporate and enhance existing landscape features, where appropriate and complement them with new landscape works using local materials and plant species. Provision should also be made for future maintenance of new landscape works associated with new developments.

Policy DC1 - High Quality Design:

Development will be permitted provided it achieves [in terms of siting, massing, scale, proportion, alignment, rhythm, layout, materials (finishes, details, features) spaces and views] all of the following:

i) Creates an attractive environment that has its own distinctive identity but which respects and enhances local character.

ii) Ensures the efficient use of land.

iii) Provides safe and convenient access to facilities and public transport.

iv) Does not adversely affect the amenities of occupiers of neighbouring properties.

v) Includes existing built and natural features such as trees, walls, watercourses and historic buildings.

vi) Reduces the possibility of crime or anti-social behaviour.

vii) Maximises solar gain and energy conservation.

viii) Maximises water conservation and utilises sustainable urban drainage systems.