HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
CABINET
MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2005 AT 2.00 PM
LAND AT HERNS LANE, WELWYN GARDEN CITY
INCLUDING THE FORMER YOUTH CENTRE SITE AND PART OF THE SITE OF SIR FREDERIC OSBORN SCHOOL
Report of the Corporate Director(People and Property), and the Director of Children, Schools and Families
Authors: Ken McMaster, Hertfordshire Property 01992 588126
Lindsay Martin, CSF 01992 556718
Executive Members: David Beatty, Robert Gordon
Local Member: Bob Mays
1. Purpose of the Report
1.1 To consider proposals for the development, allocation and disposal of land at Herns Lane, Panshanger, Welwyn Garden City together with an associated School Incentive Scheme proposal.
2. Summary
2.1 The former Youth Centre site at Herns Lane is surplus to requirements and is strategically positioned to provide access to rear lands.
2.2 The adjoining site of Sir Frederic Osborn School is significantly larger than is required for its existing building capacity and also beyond what is required for reserve growth to 8 Forms of Entry (FE) size. Potentially surplus school land could, with the benefit of access through the former Youth Centre site and subject to grant of planning permission, provide a well located site for housing development.
2.3 These circumstances provide the opportunity for a significant land disposal by the County Council and for the school to have a School Incentive Scheme project funded by part of the disposal proceeds. The most pressing premises need at the school is for modern facilities to support the physical education curriculum and an outline scheme for a sports hall and all weather pitch has been developed.
2.4 The Children Schools and Families Service has need for a replacement Children’s Home site and part of the lands at Herns Lane would, subject to planning permission, be suitable for this purpose.
2.5 A scheme for comprehensive development for housing, children’s home and school sports facilities has been formulated.
3. Conclusions
3.1 Subject to the grant of the appropriate planning permissions, part of Sir Frederic Osborn School site and the adjacent former Youth Centre site can be disposed of for housing development.
3.2 Subject to the grant of planning permission, a further part of the Sir Frederic Osborn school site and the former Youth Centre site can be allocated for the site of a children’s home.
3.3 A further part of the Sir Frederic Osborn school site adjoins the site of Watchlytes JMI School and, if allocated as reserve primary school expansion land, can ensure that school has site capacity to allow future development to 2FE size.
3.4 A School Incentive Scheme project for Sir Frederic Osborn School can be agreed in principle. That will, subject to successful sale of the land referred to in paragraph 3.1 above, provide the majority or all of the funding for a school capital project to provide sports hall and all weather pitch facilities.
3.5 In order to help with the management of the proposed disposal and the school incentive scheme project, the timing of disposal and investment decisions and the setting of the budgets for the project can be delegated to the Corporate Director, People and Property, in consultation with the Executive Members for Resources and for Children Schools and Families.
3.6 As there is no further requirement for a reserve primary school site in north-eastern Welwyn Garden City, the reserve primary school site at Bericot Way, Panshanger, Welwyn Garden City can be released.
4. Background
4.1 Hertfordshire Property’s review team identified potential over-capacity of land holdings at the Panshanger area of Welwyn Garden City and the opportunity to provide land for development and to release resources for service improvement.
4.2 A report to the Property Panel in April 2003 considered the secondary school site capacities and the long term future demand for secondary school places in Welwyn Garden City. It was concluded that surplus land at one site, of the Sir Frederic Osborn School, could be released and also that if other land at that site could be allocated as reserve primary school expansion land a nearby reserve primary school site could be released.
4.3 The Panel recommended to the Executive Member for Resources that the proposals be pursued. Full investigations and negotiations with stakeholders have since been undertaken.
4.4 The site of Sir Frederic Osborn School contains reserve expansion capacity well beyond the site needed for its current 7 FE buildings capacity and also beyond its reserve potential growth size of 8FE.
4.5 Part of the playing field area of the school site is affected by an urban open land planning policy. A smaller part is not so affected and this part of the site can be considered for urban land use development if not required for school purposes.
4.6 Adjacent to that part of the school site is the site of the former Youth Centre, now out of service use and surplus to requirements. This site is strategically located opposite to the existing junction of Daniells with Herns Lane and if part is used for highway improvement allows a major access to be provided to serve development to the rear.
4.7 Technical evaluation has shown that an area of land measuring about 1.6 hectares (4 acres) can be released for development on the south side of Herns Lane with a new junction providing capacity to serve both development of that land and new access to the school site.
4.8 Following the review of secondary school provision in Welwyn Garden City in 1998 remodelling of classroom accommodation was completed at Sir Frederic Osborn School. However the school lacks modern accommodation to support the physical education curriculum.
4.9 The CSF Service analysis of future demand for primary school places in eastern Welwyn Garden City shows that demand will not exceed the current built capacity. This confirms that there is no need to develop a school on the reserve 1FE primary school site at Bericot Way, Panshanger. This is a site originally acquired in pursuance of a planning obligation. There is a provision in the transfer to the County Council for the original owner to buy the site back should a school not have been constructed on the site by 22 May 2007. It is clear there is no need to develop a school at that site now and also that it is likely the original owner will exercise the right purchase it. In the circumstances it is appropriate to ensure there are, for the long term, other reserve means of expanding primary school places in east WGC.
5. Proposals
5.1 The results of the school site capacity and highway access studies have allowed production of a scheme for comprehensive development for housing and school sports facilities.
5.2 The first plan attached to this report, entitled “Illustrative layout” and prepared by Vincent & Gorbing planning consultants, shows how the surplus land can be developed to provide a new high quality highway access, housing and direct access to retained land upon which can be developed the new sports facilities needed by the school.
5.3 Included with the housing scheme is a site for a Children’s Home, which is needed by CSF Service as part of the wider Children’s Service PFI Scheme.
5.4 Cabinet approved the CSF Service PFI strategy for the provision of looked after children residential places, including the proposal for a new site adjacent to Sir Frederic Osborn School, at its meeting on 11 July 2005.
5.5 The reduction of the school site capacity, the release of potentially surplus land for disposal and the use of the School Incentive Scheme to provide funding for a capital project, to provide sports facilities, have been agreed in principle with Sir Frederic Osborn School.
5.6 Discussions with local authority planners and Sport England have identified a strategy that could lead to successful outcomes to planning applications for school premises expansion, children’s home and residential developments.
5.7 The consent of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills is needed for the sale of playing field land and a full application under Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 will need to be made. The proposals for re-provision of school sports facilities will be an important consideration in that application.
5.8 The second plan attached to the report, entitled “Site reallocation plan”, shows the parts of the school site that it is proposed be sold (cross hatched) and allocated as reserve expansion land to enable the future expansion to 2FE capacity of Watchlytes JMI School (hatched).
5.9 Should the school site be reduced in size by these proposals it would still have a potential capacity for a school of 10 FE size. It is proposed that site capacity should be retained at that level against possible ‘Building Schools for the Future’ and long term planning needs.
6. Town Planning
6.1 Technical investigations to support development feasibility are complete. A draft planning application is being prepared for a comprehensive scheme of development to provide access, residential development, sports hall and all weather pitch. The scheme will allow for the proposed children’s home site. It is proposed that the application will be submitted at an early date.
6.2 An application for planning permission for the Children’s Home has already been made and was considered by the Development Control Committee on 31 October 2005. The Committee resolved to grant permission.
6.3 It is possible that, to meet town planning and Sport England requirements, replacement playing fields will have to be made available somewhere else in Welwyn Hatfield District. Potential locations are being investigated and the most promising identified so far is the land at the rear of the New Barnfield site, Hatfield. The actual need, location and cost of the replacement playing fields will not be known until the planning application has progressed.
6.4 The land at New Barnfield in Hatfield (or an alternative site) will need to be reserved for replacement playing field in connection with the release of land at Sir Frederic Osborn School for development.
7. Financial Implications
7.1 The net capital receipt arising from the sale of the potentially surplus land is estimated to be in the range of £3.1m to £3.5m (Lambert Smith Hampton Category B estimate).
7.2 The estimated value of the site proposed to be allocated as a Children’s Home site is £0.9m (Lambert Smith Hampton Category B estimate).
7.3 The initial costing of the proposed sports hall and all weather pitch is £3.0m to 3.5m (Mace pre Gateway 1 estimate).
7.4 There is therefore the prospect of the majority of the funding for schools needs for modern sports facilities being met from a School Incentive Scheme settlement based on the sale of the potentially surplus land at the estimated value indicated above. Should the outcome of the sale not meet the whole cost of the sports hall and all weather pitch there could be phased development, with the later phase being implemented once full funding has been secured.
7.5 There is a possibility that the estimated total costs of the school sports facilities project could exceed the potential capital receipt.
7.6 This leads to recommendation of a market testing exercise to seek contemporaneous contracts for the sale of surplus land and for procurement of the school sports facilities, to ensure that the project is robustly self financing before commitments are made (with the Corporate Director, People & Property delegated, in consultation, to agree the commitments).
Background papers:
Report to and Minutes of Property Panel, 14 April 2003.
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051114 herns lane