Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Chief Planning Officer regarding a pre-application for a proposed school.

This is a pre-application presentation and no formal decision on the development will be taken, however it is an opportunity for Panel Members to ask questions, raise issues, seek clarification and comment on the proposals at this stage. A ward member or a nominated community representative has a maximum of 15 minutes to present their comments. 

  Plans and graphics were displayed at the meeting.  A Members site visit had taken place earlier in the day

  Members considered a report of the Chief Planning Officer on pre-application proposals for the Ruth Gorse Academy, a new academy for Leeds, to be sited on land at Black Bull Street Hunslet.  The Panel also received a presentation from the Principal of the Academy and representatives of the development team

  Details of the proposals were outlined to Members, with these including:

·  the ethos of the academy

·  pupil numbers; that these would rise progressively on the Morley Academy site before transferring to the Black Bull site, with eventually 1580 students being on roll there

·  the areas of Leeds the academy would serve

·  the level of support locally and nationally for new schools

·  details of the consultation process

·  the key constraints close to the site, in terms of noise and pollution from Black Bull Street

·  the design of the building, with the provision of a community hub which would include the indoor sports provision, with the main teaching areas being located in two wings leading off from the hub

·  that a strong edge to Black Bull Street would be created

·  that the school would present a façade to the street and that the main entrance would be off Black Bull Street

·  that the car parking area would be to the north of the site as would the external access and drop off point

·  the proposed materials would be red brick and slate grey cladding to the hub

·  in terms of scale and massing, it was felt that the four storey humanities block related to the new buildings which were sited on Chadwick Street

·  the site was accessible; in easy walking distance of the city centre and that a NGT stop was proposed close by

·  discussions were continuing with Highways about how to enhance the walking routes; that an additional pedestrian crossing was likely to be included and that Black Bull Street would be narrowed to two lanes of traffic

·  that based on data for 2014/2015, the majority of the student cohort would be from South Leeds and that a robust Travel Plan would be developed to address issues arising from these school journeys

·  that 30 car parking spaces would be provided on site, with these being allocated to those who most needed them.  A staff car sharing scheme would also be encouraged

·  the aim was to submit the planning application by 24^th April 2015, to enable construction to commence in July 2015 and the academy to be open in September 2016

The Panel discussed the proposals and commented on the following

matters:

·  the length of time a new high school for South Leeds had been discussed

·  the need for a clear mechanism for community use of the facilities to be established

·  the need to balance the safeguarding of pupils with  providing connectivity through the site, possibly achievable through the proposed car park

·  the challenging timescales being proposed and that Panel, whilst recognising the need of a new school would not sanction a development which was not satisfactory

As Councillor P Gruen had to leave the meeting at this point, he put on

record his thanks to Councillor J McKenna for chairing City Plans Panel this municipal year

  The Panel continued to comment on the proposals, as follows:

·  the design of the building, with concerns it did not make a strong enough statement, particularly in comparison to the Leeds College of Building; that the brick element was uninspiring; that the extent of the dark cladding to the community hub element appeared to ‘push down on’ and visually dominate the ground floor glazed elements

·  the level of car parking being proposed; that this was not sufficient; that car sharing would be difficult to insist upon and that additional car parking would be required off-site

·  the access arrangements for the car park; the pickup and drop off points and how the pupil spill out areas would work

·   the noise levels around the site due to the traffic along Black Bull Street; the need for traffic calming measures, with a 30mph limit being suggested and that acoustic fencing may be required

·  highways issues and the need for the traffic lanes at Black Bull Street to be reduced before pupils were on site

·  the need to consider the type of internal flooring materials to specialist classrooms to ensure this provided a level of comfort for teaching staff who had to stand for long periods of the day

Members were informed that funding for the project was limited and

that the applicants required the largest area of expenditure to be used where teaching and learning would take place.  That requirements relating to daylight levels had to be satisfied, which affected the design of the building. Whilst the nearby Leeds College of Building had limited glazing on the workshop elements, this would not be possible for the academy.  Similarly the funding streams differed between colleges and academies, with colleges having greater autonomy.  The Chair noted these points, but summed up the view of the Panel that improvements could be made to the design of the building

In relation to the specific points raised in the report, Members provided

the following responses:

·  that the proposed use of the site would be appropriate in principle

·  to note the qualified comments in respect of the form, massing, architectural treatment and materials in respect of the regeneration aspirations for the area

·  in relation to the boundary treatment, concerns were raised about the proposed paladin fencing to the boundaries; that such fencing was easily vandalised and that an improved form of boundary treatment was required and that more screening should be provided to Black Bull Street to help mitigate against noise levels

·  that it was necessary to secure a pedestrian and cycle connection through the site in order to enhance pedestrian connectivity between the South Bank and the rest of the City Centre

·  to note Members’ comments in respect of the highways and transportation issues

RESOLVED -  To note the report, the presentation and the comments

now made