Item 17                                                                                    Jubilee Free School

14/503957/FULL                                                         Gatland House Gatland Lane

                                                                                    Maidstone ME16 8PF

Councillor Dan Daly has provided additional correspondence from KCC Education which reads as follows:

“Gatland House was not considered for use by KCC for primary provision because it would not meet the latest Building Bulletin for a 2FE primary school and would not therefore be deemed suitable for the establishment of a new academy. An example is that the site would have insufficient space for playing fields. Of course Free Schools have more flexibility over this, which is why I think the building /site was attractive to the EFA. On the example of playing fields, I understand the free school and /or EFA have been seeking use of the adjacent recreational ground.

It should be noted that the planning group of Maidstone West, in which Gatland House sits, was not forecast to experience significant demand for places in 2014, when the school opened.

As context, KCC has lobbied for the free school to open in Maidstone North, where there are significant pressures on primary provision. The Jubilee Group had also wanted the school to open in Maidstone North but the EFA were unable to identify an affordable site. The EFA therefore turned their attention to Gatland House which was on KCC’s disposals list and advertised commercially.

Therefore KCC Education did not consider the practicalities of operating a school from this site.”

Officer Comment     

Jubilee Primary School has had meetings with KCC Highways in connection with traffic generation, parking and road safety matters, the attached conditions and section 278 Agreement which KCC Highways have requested the school enter into mitigates the many issues that have been raised in regards to highways and pedestrian safety.

The further expansion of the school (under proposed Phase 2 works) and the issue of adequate play space will be the subject of scrutiny under a separate planning application to be submitted later in the year. The attached conditions have limited the school to no more than 240 pupils which the site is considered capable of accommodating.

The bulletin referred to in the report by KCC Education although a relevant planning matter is given limited weight in determining the application when considered against Central Government guidance on Schools contained in the NPPF (2012) and the Policy Statement ‘Planning for Schools Development’ (August 2011).

Furthermore all applications to set up a free school must be approved by the Secretary of State for Education. Free schools must:

• meet a genuine need in the community, backed up by evidence
• have a good financial plan in place
• have ‘fair and transparent’ admissions criteria

Amendment to highways condition

The Highways condition should be amended to read as follows:-

·         3)         The applicant shall enter into a section 278 agreement with the highway authority within 3 months of the issuing of this decision in order to establish the following:-  

o   a)         Corner protection car parking restrictions in a variety of places to enhance and enforce guidance to not park on corners already given in The Highway code (paragraph 243).

o   b)         Dropped kerbs not least between nos. 23 and 25 Gatland Lane and opposite to combine with the school clearway marking described above. There are a number of other locations where dropped kerbs at the corners of junctions would be beneficial and this would tie in with the corner protection markings also described above.

o   c)         A school clearway marking shall be established between the two entrances onto Gatland Lane.

o   d)         The establishment of school warning signs from each approach in accordance with the statutory instrument the Traffic Signs regulations and General directions 2002. It’s considered that this should include signs which incorporate school flashing beacons to operate at school start and finish times.

o   e)         The entrance to the Gatland Recreational Park shall be improved and widened to prevent overrunning onto the footway at the eastern corner of the entrance.

The development shall be carried out in strict accordance with the agreed details.

Reason            In the interests of highway safety and amenities 

·         A further Condition should be added and read as followed:-.

Condition 10)       A school crossing patrol shall be employed by the school prior to the next year intake of pupils in September 2015.

Reason:           In the interests of highway safety and amenities.

Recommendation

The recommendation remains unchanged