Agenda item

Proposed development of Silverwood School, extending the existing Rowde Campus (formerly Rowdeford School) to provide a high quality SEND school campus for 350 students including the construction of a new two storey education building with new Hydrotherapy Pool, teaching classrooms and Main Hall, the development of existing buildings, new all-weather sports pitch, new playing fields, on-site parking, landscaping, ecological enhancements and associated works

The Chairman stated that the Committee were not determining the whys and wherefores of SEND provision, as that had been determined previously, but were just to determine the application before them.

 

Public Participation

Anthony Dixon spoke in support of the application.

Sean McKeown spoke in support of the application.

Cllr Jane Davies spoke in support of the application.

 

Andrew Guest, Major Projects and Performance Manager presented a report which recommended that subject to Natural England first agreeing the Appropriate Assessment required by the Habitat Regulations, that the application be approved, subject to the conditions as listed at pages 140 – 144 of the agenda, with conditions 5, 6 and 7 being replaced by the conditions in agenda supplement 2 for the proposed development of Silverwood School, extending the existing Rowde Campus (formerly Rowdeford School) to provide a high quality SEND school campus for 350 students including the construction of a new two storey education building with new Hydrotherapy Pool, teaching classrooms and Main Hall, the development of existing buildings, new all-weather sports pitch, new playing fields, on-site parking, landscaping, ecological enhancements and associated works.

 

The officer explained that as stated in the report the application was coming to the Committee in the interests of transparency of decision making as it was a Wiltshire Council application.

 

The application was to develop the existing school to provide a high-quality SEND permanent school campus for 350 students as described above. There had been concerns raised regarding the impact on ecology at the site, however the Wiltshire Council ecologist was happy with the proposed mitigation as there would be a net gain.

 

Members of the committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officer.

 

Details were sought on the lifts within the two-storey building and whether an impact assessment had been undertaken as required by the Equalities Act 2010. The officer stated that these were matters for buildings regulations rather than the planning application, it was also explained that the upstairs rooms would not be used as classrooms but as staff facilities. The officer confirmed that there was not an impact assessment with the planning application, but there was no requirement for one at this stage, it would come later under the building regulations, and the building had been designed with access in mind. The Chairman suggested that if the Committee were minded to approve the application, an informative could be added to ensure these points were considered. The officer confirmed that this would be possible.

 

In response to a question regarding how many EV charging points the site would have it was stated that there would be EV charging points, but exact numbers where not known. Details were sought on the sports facilities and it was explained that the site would have a kick about area and a full suite of sports facilities.

 

Members of the public then had the opportunity to present their views, as detailed above.

 

A debate followed where the Committee discussed at length the carbon footprint of the building, the aim for operational net zero carbon and the possibility of adding a condition requiring this if the Committee approved the application, possibly using a recognised assessment system such as the passive house standard or Breeam. The Committee sought the opinion of the officer who explained that the applicant stated that the new build would be a net zero carbon operation, and, in any event, this would be covered by Wiltshire Councils policies, so the condition was not required. It was also explained that to change to using an outside assessment system at this point would be difficult as the external assessors would have needed to be involved from the design phase and budgets were already set. However, reassurance was given that the project would be net carbon zero. Some Councillors suggested an informative rather than a condition, or that the condition just stipulate that the building be net zero carbon.

 

The Chairman proposed a motion to approve the application with conditions as per the officer’s recommendation as detailed in the agenda and agenda supplement. With the addition of an informative to cover the lifts, accessibility and impact assessment and a condition that the building be net carbon zero. Final wording of the additional informative and condition would be delegated to the planning officer. This was seconded by Cllr Sarah Gibson. It was,

 

Resolved:

 

That subject to Natural England first agreeing the Appropriate Assessment required by the Habitat Regulations, that the application be approved, subject to the following conditions.

 

1.    The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

 

REASON: To comply with the provisions of Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as amended by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

 

2.    In respect of the new Main Block hereby approved no works of construction above ground floor slab level shall commence until details of the materials to be used for the external walls and roofs have been submitted to and approved by the local planning authority.  The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved materials. 

 

All other elements of the development hereby approved involving alterations or extensions to existing buildings shall use external materials which, as far as practicable, match the materials used in the existing buildings. 

 

REASON: In the interests of visual amenity and the character and appearance of the area.

 

3.    All soft landscaping comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out in the first planting and seeding season following the first occupation of the building(s) or the completion of the development whichever is the sooner; All shrubs, trees and hedge planting shall be maintained free from weeds and shall be protected from damage by vermin and stock. Any trees or plants which, within a period of five years, die, are removed, or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of a similar size and species, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the local planning authority. All hard landscaping shall also be carried out in accordance with the approved details prior to the occupation of any part of the development or in accordance with a programme to be agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority.

 

REASON: To ensure a satisfactory landscaped setting for the development and the protection of existing important landscape features.

 

4.    No demolition, site clearance or development shall commence on site, and; no equipment, machinery or materials shall be brought on to site for the purpose of development, until tree protection measures are put in place in accordance with the details set out in the Arboricultural Impact Assessment report by Barton Hyett Associates dated May 2021, and;

 

The protective fencing shall be erected in accordance with the approved details. The protective fencing shall remain in place for the entire development phase and until all equipment, machinery and surplus materials have been removed from the site. Such fencing shall not be removed or breached during construction operations.

 

No retained tree/s shall be cut down, uprooted or destroyed, nor shall any retained tree/s be topped or lopped other than in accordance with the approved plans and particulars. Any topping or lopping approval shall be carried out in accordance British Standard 3998: 2010 “Tree Work – Recommendations” or arboricultural techniques where it can be demonstrated to be in the interest of good arboricultural practise.

 

If any retained tree is removed, uprooted, destroyed or dies, another tree shall be planted at the same place, at a size and species and planted at such time, that must be agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority.

 

No fires shall be lit within 15 metres of the furthest extent of the canopy of any retained trees or hedgerows or adjoining land and no concrete, oil, cement, bitumen or other chemicals shall be mixed or stored within 10 metres of the trunk of any tree or group of trees to be retained on the site or adjoining land.

 

[In this condition “retained tree” means an existing tree which is to be retained in accordance with the approved plans and particulars; and paragraphs above shall have effect until the expiration of five years from the first occupation or the completion of the development, whichever is the later].

 

REASON: To enable the Local Planning Authority to ensure the retention of trees on the site in the interests of visual amenity.

 

5.    Notwithstanding the details set out in the application particulars, no development shall commence until a scheme to ensure safe entry and exit for all construction traffic has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. Thereafter, and at all times, construction traffic shall be managed strictly in accordance with the approved scheme for the duration of the construction works.

 

REASON: 

In the interests of highway safety.

 

6.    The new school buildings hereby permitted shall not be brought into use until a School Travel Plan based on the submitted Draft Travel Plan has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The School Travel Plan shall include details of implementation and monitoring and shall be implemented in accordance with these agreed details. The results of the implementation and monitoring shall be made available to the Local Planning Authority on request, together with any changes to the plan arising from these results.

 

REASON:

In the interests of road safety and reducing private car movements to and from the school.

 

7.    Prior to the school buildings hereby permitted being first brought into use, the vehicle parking and turning areas shall have been provided with the individual parking spaces being demarcated, and the areas shall thereafter be maintained and kept available for the parking and turning of vehicles.

 

REASON:

In the interests of safe and convenient use of the development.

 

8.    Prior to the school buildings hereby permitted being first brought into use, the cycle parking spaces shall have been provided, and shall thereafter be maintained and kept available for the parking of cycles.

 

REASON:

In the interests of safe and convenient use of the development.

 

9.    Prior to the school buildings hereby permitted being first brought into use, the access drive shall have been widened and altered as detailed on plan number NWS-AHR-V4-ZZ-DR-L-100011-CO1-A3

 

REASON:

In the interests of safe and convenient access to the school.

 

10.Prior to the school buildings hereby permitted being first brought into use small areas of hardstanding, high bus access kerbs, flag signs and bus shelters shall have been provided to either side of the A342 near to the school access, in accordance with details to be first submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

 

REASON:

In the interests of providing safe and convenient access to public transport for users of the development.

 

11.Following completion of the development at no time shall the northern entrance to the site be used for access or egress by general traffic accessing or egressing the school other than those movements associated with the use of the ‘Headteachers Cottage’.  Use of the northern entrance shall be by owners/occupiers and visitors to ‘Rowdeford Lodge’ and owners/occupiers and visitors to the ‘Headteachers Cottage’, and agricultural and grounds maintenance vehicles only.

 

REASON:

In the interests of ensuring appropriate access to and from the school development.

 

12.Prior to the school buildings hereby permitted being first brought into use the carriageway and footway improvements outlined on PFA plan number W595/03 (Transport Assessment Appendix H) shall have been constructed in accordance with full details to be first submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

 

REASON:

In the interests of safe and convenient access to and from the proposed development.

 

13.No external lighting shall be installed and/or operated on-site other than in accordance with the External Lighting Statement for Planning (RevC01) by Method Consulting and related drawings (External Lighting Levels - Typical (NWS-MET-ZZ-ZZ-DR-E-630115 A3-C01); External Lighting Levels - All New Fittings, including Escape Only (NWS-MET-ZZ-ZZ-DR-E-630114 A3-C01)). The approved lighting shall be installed and shall be maintained in accordance with the approved details and no additional external lighting shall be installed.

 

REASON: In the interests of the amenities of the area and to minimise unnecessary light spillage above and outside the development site.

 

14.The development shall be carried out in accordance with the 'Mitigation Requirements' set out in the Flood Risk Assessment and Hydraulic Modelling Report by Hydrock dated 30 March 2021.

 

REASON: To accord with the terms of the application and to safeguard the development from any possible flood risk.

 

15.The development hereby approved shall be carried out and latterly operated strictly in accordance with the 'Embedded Mitigation Measures' set out in the Ecological Impact Assessment (J00405 Version 1.0) by Johns Associated dated May 2021, including the 'Integrated & Embedded Ecological Mitigation and Enhancement Masterplan' (J00405-019 dated 21/05/2021). Where additional surveys are required these shall be carried out in accordance with the 'Additional Surveys, Mitigation and Compensation Requirements' section of the Ecological Impact Assessment.

 

REASON: To ensure the ecology interests of the site are suitably protected and enhanced.

 

16.No development shall commence on site (including any works of demolition), until a Construction Environmental Management Plan, which shall include the following:

 

a) the parking of vehicles of site operatives and visitors;

b) loading and unloading of plant and materials;

c) storage of plant and materials used in constructing the development;

d) the erection and maintenance of security hoarding including decorative displays and facilities for public viewing, where appropriate;

e) wheel washing facilities;

f) measures to control the emission of dust and dirt during construction;

g) a scheme for recycling/disposing of waste resulting from demolition and construction works; and

h) measures for the protection of the natural environment;

i) hours of construction, including deliveries;

j) procedures for maintaining good public relations including complaint management, public consultation and liaison;

 

has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority. The approved Statement shall be complied with in full throughout the construction period. The development shall not be carried out otherwise than in accordance with the approved construction method statement.

 

REASON: To minimise detrimental effects to the neighbouring amenities, the amenities of the area in general, detriment to the natural environment through the risks of pollution and dangers to highway safety, during the construction phase.

 

17. Prior to the commencement of works, including demolition, ground works/excavation, site clearance, vegetation clearance and boundary treatment works, a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) shall be submitted to the local planning authority for approval in writing. The Plan shall provide details of the avoidance, mitigation and protective measures to be implemented before and during the construction phase, including but not necessarily limited to, the following:

 

a)  Identification of ecological protection areas/buffer zones and tree root protection areas and details of physical means of protection, e.g. exclusion fencing.

b)  Working method statements for protected/priority species, such as nesting birds and reptiles.

c)  Mitigation strategies already agreed with the local planning authority prior to determination, such as for great crested newts, dormice or bats; this should comprise the pre-construction/construction related elements of strategies only.

d)  Work schedules for activities with specific timing requirements in order to avoid/reduce potential harm to ecological receptors; including details of when a licensed ecologist and/or ecological clerk of works (ECoW) shall be present on site.

e)  Key personnel, responsibilities and contact details (including Site Manager and ecologist/ECoW).

f)   Timeframe for provision of compliance report to the local planning authority; to be completed by the ecologist/ECoW and to include photographic evidence.

 

The CEMP will update the draft version submitted with the planning application.

Development shall be carried out in strict accordance with the approved CEMP.

    

REASON: To ensure adequate protection and mitigation for ecological receptors prior to and during construction, and that works are undertaken in line with current best practice and industry standards and are supervised by a suitably licensed and competent professional ecological consultant where applicable.

 

18.Prior to the start of construction, a Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  The LEMP will include long term objectives and targets, management responsibilities and maintenance schedules for each ecological feature within the development, together with a mechanism for monitoring success of the management prescriptions, incorporating review and necessary adaptive management in order to attain targets.

 

The LEMP shall also include details of the legal and funding mechanism(s) by which long-term implementation of the plan will be secured. The LEMP shall be implemented in full and for the lifetime of the development in accordance with the approved details.

 

REASON:  To ensure the long-term management of landscape and ecological features retained and created by the development, for the benefit of visual amenity and biodiversity for the lifetime of the scheme.

 

19.Prior to the commencement of the works for the widening of the existing driveway from the south entrance, details of proposed materials for the final surfacing shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the LPA, including details of any proposed kerbs.  The final surfacing shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

 

REASON:  To ensure a satisfactory appearance is achieved for the driveway to protect the setting of the Listed buildings and the associated parkland.

 

20. The new car parks approved as part of the development hereby approved shall not be first used for the parking of vehicles until electric vehicle charging points have been installed in accordance with the details set out in the Transport Assessment by PFA Consulting dated May 2021. In addition, and also prior to first use of the new car parks, provision shall be made for all required ducting and electrical infrastructure necessary to allow for further EV charging points (for a minimum of 1 in 10 spaces) should demand increase. 

 

REASON: To comply with the terms of the planning application and to future proof the development, in accordance with the climate change adaptation expectations of Core Policy 41 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

 

21.The new ‘main block’ element of the development hereby approved shall be constructed in accordance with the ‘Part L & Overheating Report’ prepared by Wilmott Dixon, dated January 2021.

 

REASON: To ensure the building achieves ‘net zero carbon’ in operation and to comply with the climate change adaptation expectations of Core Policy 41 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

 

22.The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the plans listed in the attached schedule of approved plans.

 

REASON: For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.

 

23.INFORMATIVE:

Safeguards should be implemented during the construction phase to minimise the risks of pollution from the development. Such safeguards should cover:

 

- the use of plant and machinery

- wheel washing and vehicle wash-down

- oils/chemicals and materials

- the use and routing of heavy plant and vehicles

- the location and form of work and storage areas and compounds

- the control and removal of spoil and wastes.

 

24.INFORMATIVE:

The development should include water efficient systems and fittings. These should include dual-flush toilets, water butts, water-saving taps, showers, and appliances with the highest water efficiency rating (as a minimum). Greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting should be considered.

 

25.INFORMATIVE

The applicant is requested to ensure that, as necessary, the project accords with the Public Sector Equality Duty.