Planning Committee, 11 December 2007: CC2007/0041 INSTALLATION OF 4-BAY DEMOUNTABLEBUILDING TO PROVIDE 'EARLY YEARS' AND CHILDCARE FACILITY, AND FORMATION OF SURFACEDPLAY AREA AT BITTERLEY CE PRIMARY SCHOOL, BITTERLEY, LUDLOW
Contact: Peter Walker on (01743) 252551 or Malcolm Bell on (01743) 252553
- 3 -4.5 The application has been publicised by site notices and in the local press, and theoccupiers of 15 houses in the lanes surrounding the school have been notified of theplanning application, as have a further 19 individuals in the local rural area whocommented on the previous planning application. The statutory public consultationperiod will expire on 3 December 2007. In addition to the statutory planningapplication consultations, two ‘public information evenings’ to explain the revisedproposal took place at the school on 9 October and 13 November. At the first 52people attended, whilst 15 came to the second meeting.4.6 It is anticipated that, if approved, the development would take place during thecoming winter, with a view to the new facility opening in March 2008.
5 CONSULTATIONS
5.1
South Shropshire District Council
Observations awaited (the District Councilraised no objections to the previous application)5.2
Bitterley Parish Council
states that it unanimously supports the proposal. Itrequests that consideration should be given to making the new building of pleasingappearance, and providing adequate screening from the adjacent dwelling, and thattraffic problems at the school should be investigated thoroughly.5.3
Local County Councillor
Mr Evans has been notified of the application5.4
Public consultation
At the time of compiling this report, two letters of objection tothe application have been received, from the occupiers of the house immediatelysouth-west of the school site and the proposed demountable building, and fromanother property south-east of the school. The grounds of objection are that:
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The proposed demountable unit would be a large and incongruous feature whichwould be at odds with the character of the original Victorian school building. Autilitarian structure of this type would not be appropriate in an attractive rural area.
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The new building would be sited to the south of the school grounds, which wouldcause it to shade the adjacent play areas at all times
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Due to the varying ground levels of the site, the new building would be higher thanif it was on level ground; this would increase its visual impact and its shadingeffect
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The proposed development would reduce the area of the school’s playing field,which would be detrimental to the school’s facilities if the number of pupils at theschool were to rise
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The proposal would lead to increased numbers of children at the school site (themajority of them being from outside the village), and would increase noise there,which would impact on the amenities of the nearby dwellings
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The current pre-school arrangements at the nearby village hall functionsatisfactorily and there is no necessity to change and disrupt them, but the newfacilities would bring no benefits to the existing pupils of the primary school
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Considerable traffic congestion already occurs outside the school at the start andend of the school day, and this situation would be exacerbated by the proposal;pre-school group staff would need to park at the school, whereas ample parkingspace for pre-school use exists at the village hall
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The proposed development would be detrimental to the setting of the nearesthouse, which is a Listed Building, and to the character of this part of the village
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Sufficient space exists within the school grounds to site the new building on thenorthern edge of the existing school buildings, adjacent to an existing
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