HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

RESOURCES CABINET PANEL

THURSDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2006 AT 2.00PM.

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF THEBEAUMONT SCHOOL SITE, ST ALBANS

Joint Report of the Corporate Director (People and Property) and the Director of Children, Schools and Families

Authors: Ken McMaster, Senior Estates Officer Tel:01992 588126

Paul Wray, Area Planning ManagerWest Tel:01992 555860

Executive Members: Robert Gordon, Performance and Resources

David Lloyd, Education

Local Members: Rob Prowse, St Albans East

Brian Lee, The Colneys

  1. Purpose of report

1.1To consider the making of a planning application,for a proposed reorganisation of the school site, that does not conformto the provisions of the relevant local plan.

  1. Summary
  2. BeaumontSchoolsite lies in the green belt on the eastern side of St Albans. It has very poor vehicular access and low quality playing fields which are insufficient in size for the number of pupils at the school.
  3. The school playing fields are bounded on three sides by areas of residential development and on the fourth by the school buildings. Open land to the east of the school buildings is owned by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Part of this land could be available to provide replacement playing fields,enable site reorganisation and the creation of a new access onHatfield Road.
  4. The proposed new access wouldrun across the existing school playing fields andenabling residential development on this areacould fund the costs of the new access, the site reorganisation and the acquisition and laying out of the new playing fields. LSHTM is willing to make a joint planning application with the County Council.

2.4These proposals would radically improve the site arrangements and capacity for BeaumontSchool. They would also require a planning permission that would not be in conformity with current Local Plan policies.

2.5The alternative course, making representations to the Local Development Framework (LDF) processes, seeking to exclude relevant areas of land from the green belt and polices to support the proposals, would take several years having regard to the LDF timetable and interaction with the East of England plan timetable.

2.6A planning application that conflicts with the adopted local plan designation of the relevant area as green belt is likely to be controversial.

3.Conclusion

3.1Panel is asked to consider recommending to Cabinet that the making of ajoint planning application, with LSHTM, be authorised.

3.2The application would be for the proposed scheme to reorganise and expand the site of BeaumontSchool with associated new access and enabling residential development.

3.3The objectives of such an application are set out in paragraph 6.1 of the report.

4.Background

4.1The first plan attached shows the existing sites and ownerships, together with the approximate route of an alternative strategic access to the school buildings from Hatfield Road. The second plan attached shows the Metropolitan Green Belt boundary on the east side of St Albans with the school site marked.

4.2Land adjacent to BeaumontSchool site – formerly known as the Winches Farm Field Station - is owned by LSHTM and is surplus to their requirements. It is the balance of land following residential re-development of the built area of their Field Station a few years ago. The land is landlocked and in the green belt.

4.3BeaumontSchoolsite is within the green belt and has poor vehicular access off Oakwood Drive that suffers traffic congestion at peak hours in the morning and afternoon. The poor vehicular access is the cause of constant concerns amongst local residents and adversely affects school management and the health and safety of pupils and staff.

4.4The playing fieldsprovide low quality playing surfaces owing to the low lying land and to poor ground conditions. They are of insufficient size measured against the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) standard required for size of the school intake. Attempts to improve the quality of the playing fields in the past have failed and did not address the issue of insufficiency.

4.5The LSHTM has enquired whetherthe county council would be interested in jointly promoting a scheme to reorganise the school site, to resolve the problems identified above and involving a residential development scheme as enabling development.

5.The Proposal

5.1The thirdplan attached shows a scheme of development that could be promoted to address these issues.

5.2The schemeproposes a new strategic access to BeaumontSchool from Hatfield Road across Beaumont playing fields, replacement and enlarged playing fields to the east and residential development and school buildings expansionland on the existing playing fields.

5.3Planning permission and a landowner agreement between HCC and LSHTM would be required for the scheme to be capable of realisation..

Resources Cabinet Panel 09/11/06

Item 3 – Proposed Development of the BeaumontSchool Site

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6.Issues

6.1The objectivesof such a scheme would be to:

  • provide a better school access, allowing safer and more effective management of the school site;
  • provide higher quality school playing fields that would also be available for community use;
  • provide for potential future expansion land for BeaumontSchool in the context of potential future pressures on secondary school provision in St. Albans and improvement of the buildings under the Building Schools for the Future programme;and
  • reduce the adverse impact of the existing school access on local residents.

6.2The outcome would also result in capital receipts for the county council and LSHTM arising from sale of land for residential development. Disposal of playing fields land would require the consent of the DfES and the use of a capital receipt would be controlled by the criteria set out in the relative DfES guidance. Provision of enhanced site and premises for school playing field and sports facilities are included in that guidance.

7.Town Planning

7.1Planning consultants for LSHTM and the county council agree that there is a ‘very special circumstances‘ case that can be made for the development scheme proposed. Both consultants are of the view that the Beaumont school playing field land no longer serves a true Green Belt function due to them being almost completely surrounded by built development. The benefits available to the school and the community may outweigh the limited green belt function of the existing playing field.

7.2To achieve the proposed scheme, involving relocation of playing fields onto LSHTM land and development of the Beaumont playing fieldsto bring school and community benefits,the direct route is the making of a joint planning application, by the county council and LSHTM. That application would be accompanied by a planning statement that clearly sets out the justification of the ‘very special circumstances’ that are considered to exist. The application would be submitted to the City and District of St Albans as Local Planning Authority. The development would constitute a departure from the approved Local Plan.

7.3Representations have been made to the Local Development Framework (LDF) process seeking removal of the school site from the green belt and land allocations for the scheme. The LDFprocess will take several years and there is no certainty that the representations would be included in the final Local Development Documents. Beyond a change to the green belt boundaryand land use allocations through that process, a planning application will still be necessary.

8.Consultation

8.1A public exhibition of the proposals was held at BeaumontSchool on 22nd and 23rd September 2006.

8.279 people signed the attendance list at this exhibition. Approximately 160 people attended the exhibition over the two days it was open. The county council has received 65 written comments from visitors to the exhibition.

8.3Whilst the comments were mixed, many were neutral or in favour of the proposal. Many comments concerned issues of detail that would assist the preparation of a planning application. There were relatively few outright negative comments.

8.4BeaumontSchool does wish the proposals to be promoted in the town planning system.

9.The Way Forward

9.1 Planning consultantsadvising the county council have risk assessedmethods of promoting the scheme. They are of the view that the risks attached to promoting the site through the LDF process and the planning application route are similar. Clearly sequential LDF followed by planning application process has a much longer timescale.

9.2 The success of an immediate planning application for the proposals will depend on:

a) the benefits to the school and to the local community outweighing the contribution that the lands provide to green belt objectives,

b) the case being made that enabling residential development is the only way of achieving the improvements at the school site,

c) there being no other means of securing the needed improvements to the school site, and

d) the strength of opposition to the scheme.

9.3On balance it is considered that an early planning application should be made, rather than await the outcome of lengthy LDF processes.

Resources Cabinet Panel 09/11/06

Item 3 – Proposed Development of the BeaumontSchool Site

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