Meeting documents

Appendix 2

ST JOHN'S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, BATH

THE SEARCH FOR A NEW SITE

A SUMMARY

Enquiries to:

Bruce Austen

School Organisation Manager

P O Box 25, Riverside

KEYNSHAM

BS31 1DN

Tel: 01225 395169

or

e-mail: bruce_austen@bathnes.gov.uk

This is a summary of a larger document that we

have produced to outline potential new sites for

St John's Catholic Primary School in Bath.

Please contact us if you would like a copy of the main document.

We would like you to read this summary and consider the information we have included. We would then like to hear your views on the suitability of developing one of the following sites for a new school.

Background

The purpose of this summary is to look at the possible sites for the replacement school and to ask for your comments. Your views will help Councillors decide the best way forward over the next few months. The aim is for the Council Executive to take a final decision in November 2004.

Whichever site is eventually chosen we appreciate that some people will not be happy. However, we need to try and think of what will be most suitable for the children at the school, not just today but for many years to come.

This document presents some sites for comment. We should emphasise that this is not a vote but all comments will be taken into account. In the end Councillors will have a difficult choice to make but this will be easier and better for all concerned if as much information and opinion as possible can be put in front of them.

What we need

The right size site. This school will serve a maximum of 315 children. Government guidelines say a site of between 1.36 hectares (13,600 square metres) and 1.6 hectares (16,000 square metres) is needed. To give you some idea of what this looks like a full size football pitch is approximately 0.5 hectares (5,000 square metres).

What we want

Shortage of land in Bath means that land is very expensive. Ideally, we are after a site already owned by the Council or the Diocese of Clifton.

Where we need it

With the exception of one site, only sites within and around the south-west area of Bath were examined. This is where the majority of the current children at St John's live.

What is stopping us?

Planning restrictions; previous or exisiting uses which might make a site unsuitable for a school; sloping sites; legal restrictions (covenants) preventing or restricting development.

Consideration of Sites

First we looked at previously developed (`brown field') sites. Where these sites seemed likely to continue in use, we rejected the site.

Sites we do not own but are empty, or that we know are coming on to the market, were included unless they were unlikely to be available in a reasonable timescale. For example, the Western Riverside was rejected on this basis.

We also looked at sites which we know are going to be available due to school reorganisations. Only then did we look at sites on open spaces.

Details of those sites which we think offer possibilities and other sites we considered and rejected are shown below.

The sites for discussion

The sites have come from a list of sites owned by the Council which were identified through a bigger exercise we carried out in the late Spring. A map showing all four sites and the location of the existing St John's School sites is attached.

Obviously, we prefer schools to be on sites which are educationally beneficial and which are close to the homes of the children who we expect to attend but we cannot simply choose a site on this basis.

The sites below all meet four key criteria

However, using any of these sites contradicts the current Local Plan. If we choose one of these we must show that this is the last resort.

Sport England will object to using certain sites as a matter of principle. One of their jobs is the protection of playing fields. We will need to prove that a new school is more useful than the current recreational value and that other facilities equal or better can be provided reasonably close by and that people can get to these on foot, by bike and by bus and not just in private cars.

Lymore Avenue Playing Field also known as Brickfields

The main part of the site was previously used as the playing fields for Oldfield Park Junior School. Part of the site is shown in the Draft Local Plan as a `site for primary school purposes'. Access can be gained through the purchase of adjoining property. This site is less than ½ a mile away from the St Alphege's Annexe and is reasonably level. Building a school should be relatively easy. However, the issue of the bye-law, the current Local Plan which calls the site a `visually important open space' and the fact that traffic in the area is fairly heavy makes the site difficult to develop.

Recreation Ground, Englishcombe Lane

There is good access from Englishcombe Lane and an access road already in place. This site is less than ½ a mile away from the St John's site at Oldfield Lane. Once again, the site is listed as a `visually important open space. ` and is also inside the City of Bath Conservation Area. The site is on a slope and there is a possibility of ground water on this site. In addition, the site is next door to Moorlands Infant and Junior Schools.

Glasshouse Playing Field, Bradford Road

There is good access to this site. The best option would be access from Bradford Road. As above, the site is designated as a `visually important open space' and `land of recreational value'. There are differences in levels and also heavy traffic on Bradford Road. Both of these issues would need careful attention. Although these are school playing fields their loss to local people is likely to cause concern. Furthermore, there would be an impact on Culverhay School and Old Culverhaysians Rugby Club.

Finally, the site is over 1 mile away from the St John's site at Oldfield Lane.

St Gregory's / Odd Down Park and Ride / adjoining land (Fullers Earth)

The new school could be built either on St Gregory's playing field or on the Park & Ride site and new playing fields for St Gregory's could be made at the Park & Ride or Fullers Earth. The site is next to the Green Belt but well within the existing built area. However, the playing field is shown as `visually important open space' in the Draft Local Plan, use of this site would almost certainly restrict any growth of St Gregory's. Finally, an ancient monument runs along the northern boundary of the site.

The Park and Ride site is shown in the Local Plan for this purpose. It is in the Green Belt and, therefore, development will not usually be allowed except in very special circumstances. The lack of suitable alternative sites in Bath could be argued as very special circumstances. New playing fields in the Green Belt would probably be acceptable as long as development on the fields was for essential small scale facilities such as changing rooms.

The site is subject to covenants and the Council would have to pay a proportion of the development value to the owner although the development value of this land would be fairly low. These covenants last until October 2008.

Sites Considered and Rejected

Clarks CIC Factory Site, Rush Hill.

Although large enough, vacant and on sale, planning permission exists for 130 homes, offices and community facilities. A school here would be against Local Plan policy. The cost of buying land of a suitable size is likely to be over £4 million. Access exists but would require improvements and finally, the site is uneven which restricts the area of land on which a school could be built.

Rejected as a school on this site would be against the Local Plan policy and we cannot show that there is no alternative suitable site in the right general area of Bath.

St Martin's Hospital

Also large enough and available for sale, the site benefits from good links with public transport. The site is next door to a vacant Council property. However, Planning permission exists for 127 homes and office space. A school here would be against Local Plan policy. There are listed buildings on site which would need to be kept and maintained. The cost of buying land of a suitable size is likely to be over £4 million. Finally, the site is approximately 1½ miles from the existing site at Pulteney Road.

Rejected as a school on this site would be against the Local Plan policy and we cannot show that there is no alternative suitable site in the right general area of Bath.

Lime Grove School

The site will be vacant once the new special school at Frome Road is finished and is owned by the Council. However, it is not large enough for the replacement school. There are other issues such as the use of statutory allotments, a location next to the main Bath to London railway and difficult access through the existing entrance on to Lime Grove Gardens.

Rejected as this site is not suitable for a 315 place primary school.

Summerfield School

More than large enough, owned by the Council, with an existing road access which seems sufficient to serve a new school. However, it is a listed building so major extension or demolition is not acceptable. The site is sloping. Covenants prevent development of the most level land at the top of the site and Archery Fields. Area is not well served by public transport and not in easy reach of the main areas to be served by the school. Site is very close to another Roman Catholic School which serves this area. Finally, the building is earmarked for sale following closure with proceeds paying for the new special school.

Rejected as the site is too far from the principal areas to be served.

St Alphege's Church / Business Centre etc., Oldfield Lane

Currently an annexe to St John's Catholic Primary School, the site plus adjoining allotments owned by the Church, was the original preference of the school Governors. Land available (1.17 hectares) is below the minimum size we need. The only way the site can be expanded is by buying the Business Centre next door. This will cost around £1 million and provide a further 0.32 hectares. This gives an acceptable site size of 1.49 hectares. The council also owns Hillside Hall, on the other side of the Linear Park. The Hall is leased to a Management Committee. The area of this site (0.13 hectares) brings the total site to the ideal size of 1.62 hectares.

The site (but not the Business Centre) is in the Local Plan as a `site for primary school purposes' which means getting planning permission would probably be easier. However, if the Business Centre was included in the plan, the loss of the Centre would contradict other policies. We would have to prove that the Business Centre site was no longer required for local employment and that a school offers greater potential benefits to the community.

The Church, Hall and Presbytery are centrally located on the site. The buildings would separate the new school from its playing field. It is unlikely that the demolition of the church buildings would be considered. Therefore the useable land under Diocesan control may be as little as 0.86 hectares - way below the minimum site size. Buying the Business Centre means a potential loss of jobs as businesses may not be able to relocate.

Rejected as it is not reasonable to demolish the Business Centre due to the probable loss of jobs and opportunities for new local businesses.

Please send all responses to:

Bruce Austen,

School Organisation Manager,

PO BOX 25, Riverside,

Keynsham, BS31 1DN

E-mail your comments to bruce_austen@bathnes.gov.uk

ALL RESPONSES MUST BE RECEIVED BY FRIDAY OCTOBER 8th 2004