Agenda item

To consider report PES/359aof the Head of Economy and Planning.

RECOMMENDATION to PERMIT.

The Committee considered report PES/359a of the Head of Economy and Planning which proposed as follows:

Permanent change of use from offices (B1) to co-educational school (D1), including new external over-cladding, new windows and doors, new build sports hall and stairway, revised car parking, external play areas and landscaping.

Councillors A Belben, Jaggard, Mwagale, Purdy, and P Smith declared they had visited the site.

The Principal Planning Officer (VC) provided a verbal summation of the application, which consisted of the change of use of the two main buildings linked by a smaller adjoining building, and external alterations and an extension.  The application also included proposals for a sports hall, multi-use games area, and various parking arrangements.  The site had been operating as a school with limited pupil numbers since 2014, initially under permitted development rights and subsequently under two temporary permissions – this application sought to increase the maximum number of pupils to 1020.  The Officer advised that the Local Plan and Government policy emphasised the importance of establishing new educational facilities.  The Officer outlined various aspects of the application related to traffic and parking management that had been adapted since the refusal of the previous application in 2015.

Updates

The Officer highlighted the addendum to the report which had been published as a supplementary agenda.  The addendum referred to the Local Planning Authority’s consideration of the Public Sector Equality Duty and protected characteristics in regard to the application, specifically in terms of noise levels at the site. 

The Committee heard that a further representation had been received since the report was published which consisted of a public petition of 1,441 signatures in support of the application. 

The Committee was asked to note that there was an error in paragraph 5.82 of the report – it should read ’39 parent spaces' rather than ’19 parent spaces’. 

The Officer then updated the Committee that conditions 9, 13, and 16 had been amended following negotiation with the applicant and agent since the report was published.  The amended conditions read as follows:

‘9. All planting, seeding or turfing comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out in the first planting and seeding seasons following the completion of the development, and any trees or plants which within a period of five years from the completion of the development 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: In the interests of amenity and of the environment of the development in accordance with Policy CH3 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015 - 2030.’

‘13. The provisions of the Car Park Management Plan (January 2021) shall be implemented and operated as approved for the lifetime of the development, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

REASON: To ensure the safe operation of the car park and in the interests of highway safety, in accordance with policies CH3 and IN4 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015 – 2030.’

‘16. Prior to the commencement of development of the sports hall, there shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority a report assessing the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of using high-efficiency alternative energy systems in the construction of the building, and outlining how the development has incorporated any appropriate technologies. The development shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: In the interests of environmental sustainability, in accordance with policy ENV6 of Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015-2030.’

In line with the Council’s Virtual Committee Procedure Rules, one statement submitted by members of the public in regard to the application was read to the Committee.

A statement from the agent (JLL) on behalf of the applicant (the Education and Skills Funding Agency) had been prepared in conjunction with the Gatwick School, and highlighted matters including:

·         The suitability of both the building and the location for an educational facility.

·         The additional facilities to be provided, such as a sports hall and multi-use games area, which were projected to benefit the pupils and the wider community by offering rental of the spaces to local business and groups.

·         The measures introduced (e.g. a staggered timetable and a ‘kiss and drop’ parking arrangement) to satisfy West Sussex County Council’s (WSCC) Highways department’s original concerns regarding traffic flow.

The Committee then considered the application.  Committee members expressed concerns regarding access, parking, and surroundings given the location of the school and the high numbers of cars accessing the site.  It was heard that Travel Plans and a Car Park Management Plan had been developed and the school had implemented a staggered timetable to spread out vehicle movements, and staff and parent parking proposals had been amended.  Concerns about the sustainability of the location were mitigated by the various conditions and the Section 106 agreement, which would require highway improvements and a nearby pedestrian crossing among other matters.  The Committee expressed support for the revised proposals and it was noted that significant work had been done on the application, such as further traffic modelling, which had offered an updated understanding of the traffic flow at and around the site.  The Committee recognised that WSCC’s Highways department no longer objected to the proposals.

The Officer gave the following information in response to further questions from Committee members:

·         Pupils may not necessarily live in Crawley as the free school did not have a catchment area.  Those living elsewhere may travel to school with family who may work in Manor Royal.  Pupils may also travel by bus, of which an additional service was proposed to be run by Metrobus (subject to a financial contribution secured via a Section 106 agreement).

·         The site was approximately 350 metres from the end of a proposed future southern runway at Gatwick airport; the existing runway was further away than this.  Committee members expressed concerns about possible air pollution.  An air quality assessment had deemed the air quality at the site acceptable but this related only to road traffic sources or virtual organic compounds.

·         On receipt of a suggestion from a Committee member proposing pedestrian access to the school via a railway bridge (between Tinsley Green and Tinsley Lane), it was explained that this was outside of the remit of this application and had not been requested by WSCC’s Highways department.

Committee members discussed the importance of providing quality education and the need to create more school places in Crawley.

A recorded vote was taken on the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s Virtual Committee Procedure Rules.  The names of the councillors voting for and against the recommendation, along with any abstentions, were recorded as follows:

For the recommendation to permit:

Councillors Ascough, A Belben, Hart, Irvine, Jaggard, Mwagale, Purdy, Rana, and P Smith (9).

Against the recommendation to permit:

Councillor Pickett (1).

Abstentions:

None.

RESOLVED

Permit subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement to secure the elements set out in paragraph 5.153 of report PES/329a, and the conditions set out in the report with conditions 9, 13, and 16 amended as follows:

‘9. All planting, seeding or turfing comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out in the first planting and seeding seasons following the completion of the development, and any trees or plants which within a period of five years from the completion of the development 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: In the interests of amenity and of the environment of the development in accordance with Policy CH3 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015 - 2030.’

‘13. The provisions of the Car Park Management Plan (January 2021) shall be implemented and operated as approved for the lifetime of the development, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

REASON: To ensure the safe operation of the car park and in the interests of highway safety, in accordance with policies CH3 and IN4 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015 – 2030.’

‘16. Prior to the commencement of development of the sports hall, there shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority a report assessing the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of using high-efficiency alternative energy systems in the construction of the building, and outlining how the development has incorporated any appropriate technologies. The development shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: In the interests of environmental sustainability, in accordance with policy ENV6 of Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015-2030.’