Development Control Committee

Agenda Item No.

1

HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE

TUESDAY18th OCTOBER 2011 AT 10.00 AM

WATFORD BOROUGH

APPLICATION FOR PROPOSED NEW TWO STOREY EIGHT CLASSROOM BLOCK TO THE REAR OF THE SCHOOL, CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL HARD PLAY AREAS, 30 NEW CAR PARKING SPACES TO THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL, A NEW EMERGENCY ACCESS ROUTE FROM SUSSEX ROAD AND LANDSCAPING AT BEECHFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL, GAMMONS LANE, WATFORD, HERTFORDSHIRE, WD24 5TY.

Report of the Director Environment and Commercial Services

Author: Felicity HartTel: 01992 556256

Local Member: Ian BrandonAdjoining Local Member:Mark Watkin

1.Purpose of Report

1.1To consider planning application ref. 9/0815-11 for the erection of a new detached two storey eight classroom block situated to the rear of the main school building, additional hard play areas, 30 new car parking spaces to the front of the school, a new emergency access route from Sussex Road and landscaping at Beechfield Primary School, Gammons Lane, Watford.

2.Summary

2.1The application proposes to enable the school to expand on a permanent basis from September 2012 from a 1FE (one form of entry) to a 2FE (two form of entry) primary school. Currently there are 210 pupils at the school and this proposal would allow the school to increase numbers of children attending the school to 420. In addition there is a nursery on site which can accommodate up to 30 children. No change is proposed to the nursery numbers.

2.2The school was granted planning permission in January 2010 for temporary expansion of the school, by way of a temporary mobile classroom on site. Without this temporary accommodation, there would have been insufficient primary school places in Watford. It is intended that when the new classroom block, (subject of this planning application) is completed, the children currently occupying the mobile would be taught in the new building along with other new children and the mobile would no longer be required and would be removed.

2.3The principal issues to be taken into account in determining this application are:

• Visual impact and loss of trees
• Biodiversity
• Need
• Highways/traffic impacts
• The MUGA

3.Conclusion

3.1It is considered that the proposal would fulfil an urgent requirement for extra primary school places in the Watford area on a site which, although constrained by woodland, ecology, access, parking and sports provision issues can be satisfactorily developed in the manner proposed subject to conditions.

3.2It is therefore recommended thatthe Director Environment and Commercial Services be authorised to grant planning permission subject to conditions to include:

a)Time limit for commencement of development

b)Approval of plans

c)Grampian condition for the MUGA to state that the construction of the classroom block shall not commence until the MUGA is made available for use.

d)Existing School Travel Plan to be maintained and implemented throughout the life of the school.

e)Before the classroom block is brought into use the proposed car park shall be constructed and completed in accordance withthe plan.

f)Landscaping plan (to include proposed tree planting) to be submitted

g)Implementation of landscaping

h)Maintenance of landscaping

i)Safeguarding of trees on site

j)Construction traffic to and from the site not permitted outside hours of 9.00 to 18.00 Monday to Friday.

k)Details of any external lighting to be submitted for approval

l)Development to be carried out in accordance with the submitted Flood Risk Assessment

m)If contamination is found during development then no further development shall be carried out until written approval has been granted for a remediation strategy.

n)No infiltration of surface water drainage into the ground is permitted.

o)A Community Use Agreement to be submitted and approved in relation to the school’s sports facilities (playing field, hard play area, school hall) prior to first occupation of the classroom block.

p)A specification for proposed enhancements to the playing fields, including an implementation programme in accordance with the agronomist’s report to be submitted for approval.

q)Removal of the temporary mobile classroom from the site prior to occupation of the new classroom block.

r)Prior to the proposed access from Sussex Road being constructed the vegetation covering the road footprint shall be carefully and sequentially removed over a period of days to allow time for any slow worms to move away from the area along with a hand search for hedgehogs.

s)Details of any new fencingor gates to be erected as part of this proposal to be submitted for approval.

t)Details of all hard surfacing to be submitted for approval.

4.Description of the site and proposed development

4.1BeechfieldPrimary School is located in North Watford within a predominantly residential area. The application site comprises an area of approximately 2 ha and is characterised by a thickly wooded area along the eastern boundary of the site, with more mature trees to the site frontage. The existing school buildings are flat roofed and are set back into the site. There is a detached single storey building to the south east of the site used as a children’s centre. The playing fields are located to the rear of the existing school buildings with the main line railway beyond.

4.2The application site is accessed from Gammons Lane. Adjacent to the south eastern side boundary of the site lies the Callowland Recreation Ground. The recreation ground is in Watford Borough Council’s ownership and is bounded by Sussex Roadwhich leads to a cul-de-sac end adjacent to the school boundary at the rear of the site. An existing pair of gates at the end of Sussex Road leads to an overgrown access to the rear of the school site believed to be used for maintenance purposes. The southern side of the recreation ground is bounded by Ashby Road which runs between Sussex Road and Gammons Lane.

4.3The proposal involves the erection of a new detached two storey classroom block consisting of eight classrooms which is required on a permanent basis to allow the school to increase from 1FE to 2FE. The new block would be sited at the rear of the school and linked to the main building via a covered link.

4.4The proposed classroom block would measure1190 m². and would be a system built structure with flat roof.Additional hard play is to be provided to replace existing play areas as well as two new netball courts proposed to be provided to the rear of the new block.

4.5The site is to continue to be accessed from Gammons Lane. The existing pedestrian and vehicular access at the front would continue to be used, but the site frontage is proposed to be re-modelled to provide two separate areas of parking. Closest to the school buildings would be an area of 26 parking spaces to be provided for staff and between that area and the road would be another area of parking, with bays in a herring-bone design providing a further 23 spaces for dropping off of children and visitors. An ‘in and out’ arrangement would allow vehicles to leave the site without turning round. In order to construct the parking area to the front of the school it would be necessary to fell 11 trees,7 of which are mature specimens.

4.6Pedestrian access would continue to be provided from the south eastern corner of the site off Gammons Lane, via a woodlandpath leading to the front of the school. In addition a new tarmac footpath is proposed at the north western corner of the site off Gammons Lane to allow access to the nursery area of the school.

4.7There are currently 10 cycle parking spaces on the site and these would remain.A ‘park and stride’ scheme is proposed using the car park at St. Marks Church, Leggatts Way where there are 10 parking spaces available.

4.8A number of roof lights are proposed on the flat roof as part of the natural ventilation strategy for the building, together with approximately 70m² of solar PV panels.

4.9External lighting of the car park is proposed by way of 4.25m high lamp poles to be shielded away from residential properties.

4.10A Multi Use Games Area is proposed to be provided on the adjacent Callowlands Recreation Ground which is intended to be made available for use by the school as well as the community. A separate planning application for the MUGA will be submitted to Watford Borough Council.

5.Consultations

5.1WatfordBorough Council – awaiting response.

5.2Environment Agency – consider that planning permission should only be granted subject to planning conditions requiring the development to be in accordance with flood risk measures, remediation for contamination measures and drainage details as set out in Appendix 1.

5.3Hertfordshire County Council as Highway Authority – does not wish to restrict the grant of planning permission subject to the following conditions:

1. Before the development is brought into use the parking arrangements shown on Drawing ST-2066-31-A shall be provided.

Reason: To ensure that on-street parking is kept to a minimum in the interest of highway safety.

1. The existing School Travel Plan shall be maintained and implemented to current Hertfordshire County Council’s criteria, in full throughout the life of the school.

Reason: To assist in achieving greater use of sustainable transport modes, with less reliance on the private car, in line with national government polices and Hertfordshire County Council’s sustainable transport policies.

5.4Sport England – do not object to the proposal subject to conditionsbeing imposed in relation to no development commencing until the MUGA is completed, a Community Use Agreement for the school’s sports facilities being submitted and playing field qualitative improvements as set out in Appendix 2.

5.5A total of 689 properties were consulted on the application and 7 letters objecting to the application were received. The issues of concern can be summarised as:

• Traffic impacts and pedestrian safety concerns
• Loss of mature trees
• Effect of the development on biodiversity
• Use of Sussex Road for emergency/contractor’s access
• the MUGA

5.6A site notice was erected on 22nd August 2011 and an advert placed in the Watford Observer on 9th September 2011.

6.Planning considerations

6.1The relevant development plan policies are:

Watford District Local Plan 2000

Policy SE1 Sustainable Development;

Policy SE4Energy Efficient Design;

Policy SE7Waste Storage, Recovery and Recycling;

Policy SE23Light Pollution;

Policy SE24Unstable and Contaminated Land;

Policy SE27Flood Prevention;

Policy SE30Surface Water Run-off, Water Conservation and Sustainable Drainage Systems;

Policy SE31Species Protection;

Policy SE32Sites of Nature Conservation Importance;

Policy SE33Nature Conservation and Biodiversity Enhancement;

Policy SE36Replacement Trees and Hedgerows;

Policy SE37Protection of Trees, Woodlands and Hedgerows;

Policy SE39Tree and Hedgerow Provision in New Development;

Policy T4Transport and New Development;

Policy T5New Development and Green Travel Plans;

Policy T6Pedestrian Facilities;

Policy T7Pedestrian Facilities in Development;

Policy T9Cycling;

Policy T10Cycle Parking Standards;

Policy T11Passenger Transport and New Developments;

Policy T21Access and Servicing;

Policy T22Car Parking Standards;

Policy H15Non-residential Proposals in Residential Areas;

Policy L2Dual use;

Policy L4Open Space Protection;

Policy L5Playing Fields;

Policy CS1Location of Facilities;

Policy U1Quality of Design;

Policy U2Design and Layout of Development;

Policy U3Integration of Character;

Policy U4Community Safety;

Policy U5Access;

Policy U6Landscape Design

Watford Local Development Framework Core Strategy: Pre-Submission Consultation May 2011

Policy SS1Spatial Strategy;

Policy SD1Sustainable Design;

Policy SD2Water;

Policy SD3Climate Change;

Policy T2Location of New Development;

Policy T3Improving Accessibility;

Policy T4Transport Assessments;

Policy UD1Delivering High Quality Design;

Policy GI1Green Infrastructure;

Policy GI2Biodiversity

East of England Plan 2011-2031

Policy ENV7Quality in the Built Environment;

Policy ENG1Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Energy Performance

National Policy

Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 1: Delivering Sustainable Development (and its supplement, Planning and Climate Change)

6.2The principal issues to be taken into account in determining this application are:

• Visual impact and loss of trees
• Biodiversity
• Need
• Highways/traffic impacts
• the MUGA

Visual impact and loss of trees

6.3The new school building would be sited to the rear of the existing building and would have little impact when viewed from Gammons Lane. Likewise, the new development would not be visible from the east (Callowland Recreation Area) due to the mature area of woodland along the eastern boundary of the site.

6.4The new car parking layout to the site frontage would be a significant improvement on the current situation and would provide car parking split into two areas so that the area closest to the road would be available as a ‘drop-off’ zone for parents using and in and out system as well as being a shared daytime parking area for part-time staff and visitors.

6.549 parking spaces are proposed to be provided in total as a result of this development which is a number in excess of the number calculated as being required (46 including 2 for the children’s centre).

Hertfordshire County Council as Highway Authority consider that the proposed layout will result in a scheme which will achieve maximum efficiency of use of parking provision on the site.

6.6However, in order to accommodate the proposed parking layout, a number of mature trees will need to be felled. The tree survey submitted with the planning application describes the frontage of the school site as having ‘mature trees to the front which form a visually important screen, comprising mainly English Oaks and European Limes’. It goes on to say that, ‘ the trees make a significant contribution to the local streetscape and the character and amenity of the area.’

6.7The proposed car parking layout has been carefully designed to maximise parking spaces, whilst minimising the number of trees that would have to be felled. It is unfortunate that 11 trees would have to be felled from the site’s frontage in order to accommodate the parking areas, however it would not be possible to retain the trees and provide the required amount of car parking. The rear of the site was looked at as a possible alternative site for car parking, but it was considered that the impacts to residents of Sussex Road from traffic movements would have been significant as a result, as well as additional impactsresulting in further loss of playing fields. Parking at the rear of the site is therefore not considered to be a viable option.

6.8The site frontage would retain 5 mature trees between the first row of parking spaces and the Gammons Lane boundary. The new layout would provide opportunities for further landscaping and overall improvements to the frontage in terms of accessibility and layout. The loss of the trees would be compensated by the planting of some new trees both on the site frontage and across the site. In total 38 new trees are proposed to be planted comprising the following numbers and locations.

• 11 trees at the front of the site
• 6 trees along the rear boundary
• 4 trees on the northwest boundary at the rear.
• 17 trees to be planted within the woodland strip along the eastern boundary

6.9The wooded area along the eastern boundary of the site would remain intact, as would a number of mature trees at the site’s frontage. In combination with proposed new tree planting on the site it is considered that the car parking layout is an acceptable scheme given the site’s constraints.

Need

6.10The provision of additional classrooms at the school would provide further primary school places which are needed in Watford. Primary School place planning evidence indicates that a significant shortage of places is forecast in the town, which will rise to 5FE (150 places) by 2012/13. However, forecast demand is not evenly spread across town with a significant concentrationn in mid and central Watford.

6.11In order to address this deficit in primary school places it is proposed to permanently expand a number of primary schools in Watford, including BeechfieldPrimary School by 1FE in September 2012. The selected schools have been chosen as they are closest to the areas of greatest demand and have sufficient site capacity to accommodate additional pupils.

6.12In economic terms, the expansion of the school would also provide additional employment opportunities in the locality.The proposed classroom block has been designed so that it would be possible to be built using off-site construction techniques. This would allow for most of the block to be constructed in the controlled atmosphere of a factory, eliminating site risks such as weather related problems and therefore reducing construction programmes. The building would be delivered to site, complete with integral structure, building services and with a minimal amount of site finishing required. It is anticipated that the new block would have an on-site construction time of approximately 6-8 weeks.This reduction in ‘on-site’ construction time would have benefits to the local community in minimising the disruption to and from the school during the construction phase.

Highways/traffic impacts

6.13The site is to be accessed via the existing access point from Gammons Lane however, the proposed layout would allow for an ‘in and out’ arrangement which wouldbe an efficient way of maximising parking provision on site. Pedestrian access would continue to be provided into the school from Gammons Lane.

6.14A ‘park and stride’ facility has been proposed at StMark’s Church, Leggatts Way, although only 10 spaces are proposed there it will contribute to some lessening of peak time congestion at the school site. The school is intending to implement a parking management plan which would encourage staff who would be in school all day to park in the main staff car park, with part time staff, or those who start late or finish early encouraged to park in the shared area to the front.

6.15The contractor’s access to the site is proposed from the end of Sussex Road. Work to this area would involve the removal of some scrub within the school site, the removal of 4 small trees and the laying of a grasscrete fire track leading through to the rear of the school. New double (lockable) gates are proposed. A pedestrian footpath and lockable gate would be sited to the side of the fire track route. After construction is completed this gated route would only be used by emergency services needing to access the rear of the school. It is intended that the footpath link would be used by children with their teacher being taken to use the adjacent Callowlands Recreation Area.

The MUGA

6.16A MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) is proposed to be constructed on the adjacent Callowlands Recreation Area. This is outside of the planning application site and does not form part of this planning application. However, Sport England in their assessment of the proposals consider that it is essential to provide some extra sports provision due to the increase in pupils on a relatively constrained site. All of the land to the rear of the school has been laid out to its maximum capacity for sports provision and Sport England state that the MUGA formsa key element of the proposed playing field mitigation package. Sport England have confirmed that without the provision of the MUGA as part of the package that they would raise a formal objection.