Agenda item
20/0762 Ex Marylebone Boy's School, 60 Christchurch Avenue, London, NW6 7BH
Minutes:
PROPOSAL:
Erection of a four storey SEN school (Use Class D1); creation of external playspace, provision of waste storage; creation of a new vehicular crossover from Christchurch Avenue; alterations to boundary treatment with associated landscaping
RECOMMENDATION:
Grant planning permission subject to the completion of a satisfactory Section 106 or other legal agreement and delegate authority to the Head of Area Planning or other duly authorised person to agree the exact terms thereof on advice from the Director of Legal Services and Human Resources.
To GRANT planning permission subject to the prior completion of a legal agreement to secure the planning obligations set out within the report.
That the Head of Planning is delegated authority to negotiate the legal agreement indicated above.
To grant planning permission subject to conditions and informatives set out within the Committee report.
That the Head of Planning be granted delegated authority to issue the planning permission and impose conditions and informatives to secure the matters set out within the report.
That the Head of Planning and Development Services be granted delegated authority to make changes to the wording of the committee's decision (such as to delete, vary or add conditions, informatives, planning obligations or reasons for the decision) prior to the decision being actioned, provided that the Head of Planning is satisfied that any such changes could not reasonably be regarded as deviating from the overall principle of the decision reached by the committee nor that such change(s) could reasonably have led to a different decision having been reached by the committee.
Ms Paige Ireland (Planning Officer) introduced the report setting out the key issues and answered members’ questions.
Mrs Hilary Collard (in remote attendance) objected to the proposed development for several reasons including the following:
· Too many schools already in the area
· Illegal parking and traffic infringements, congestion and inadequate on-site parking.
· Impact on road and pedestrian safety.
· A four-storey development could not be substantiated as the school was situated on a smaller plot area with a restricted access which would cause blockages as children entered and exited the main gate.
· Unreasonable noise nuisance, disrespectful to the area’s residents.
· Insufficient trees
Mrs Janine Jardin (applicant in remote attendance) spoke in support of the application and answered Members’ questions. She highlighted the following:
· The Trust was asked by Brent local authority to open The Avenue Special school to support Brent's increasing need for special school places. This would be both cost effective and environmentally sound as pupils would not have to be transported out of Brent to another borough.
· The Avenue school would be for a maximum of 104 pupils with Autism and complex learning difficulties who would receive high levels of support and care.
· The use of the outside spaces in small groups with a high ratio of pupils to teaching staff would reduce impacts of noise during the day.
· Most of the pupils would be dropped off by LA transport each morning and picked up at the end of the day within the site with up to 10 pupils arriving in the same vehicle. This arrangement would ensure minimal traffic impact on local residents.
· The school would offer local residents the chance to use its large halls, purpose built cafe, gym and grounds.
· The design of the proposed development would respect the residential amenity currently enjoyed by the neighbours.
· There would be lots of cycle storage space on site as staff would either cycle or use public transport to travel to work.
· The community engagement sessions that discussed the proposal had been highly positive.
In the ensuing discussions, Members raised questions around a number of issues including transport impact, air quality and landscaping. John Borrowes (Highways) confirmed that a travel plan would be implemented that would result in no car usage on the site. Members heard that the use of local authority buses with staggered system for pick up and drop off would further address the transport impact and that any issues arising would be dealt with via the travel plan. It was added that additional trees would be planted at the front of the site to increase visual amenity.
DECISION:
Granted planning permission as recommended.
(Voting on the recommendation was unanimous).
Supporting documents: