Monday 20 July 2015 The school places planning process Overview and Scrutiny Committee 10 th September 2015
The presentation will introduce • Report to Cabinet for 1 st October with background information and explanation of how the Council plans and delivers expansion in school places • Considers: – Planning processes – Education context and background – Key implications - demonstrates that the Council does everything it can to avoid building schools (or anything else) on MOL
Recommendations to Cabinet are: Recommendations are page 1: 1.To note the approach to the planning of school place expansion established by previous Cabinet decisions, to facilitate academy and Free Schools to provide new school places. 2.To note the method of sequential assessment to test and select preferable sites for new schools, and that a further update is at procurement stage, to be completed by December 2015. 3.To note that, having applied the sequential assessment to the site search process, should the Council exhaust all other options, proposals for new schools on suitable greenfield sites including Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) should only be considered as a last resort. 4.To note that the responsibility for making planning applications for the creation of a new Free School or Academy school rests entirely with that school’s governing trust and the Education Funding Agency (EFA). The Council will offer support, cooperation and guidance from the School Expansion team in partnership with the Education and Planning teams. 5. To note that the determination of all planning applications necessary for new and expanded schools rests with the Planning Committee unless otherwise directed or determined by the Mayor of London or Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Planning principles • General planning principles apply • Plan-led sustainable development • Hounslow Local Plan, (together with London Plan and NPPF) – plan to meet the “objectively assessed needs of the area” • Planning applications - determined in accordance with the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” and “development plan” policies unless “material considerations indicate otherwise”
Importance of education provision The NPPF (para 72) recognises the importance of education provision and states: “The Government attaches great importance to ensuring that a sufficient choice of school places is available to meet the needs of existing and new communities. Local planning authorities should take a proactive, positive and collaborative approach to meeting this requirement, and to development that will widen choice in education. They should: ● give great weight to the need to create, expand or alter schools; and ● work with schools promoters to identify and resolve key planning issues before applications are submitted.”
New Hounslow Local Plan • Hounslow Local Plan found sound by independent Inspector. For adoption by Council 15 th Sept. • Prepared from 2013 – fully up-to-date. Addresses NPPF, latest London Plan (2015) and all latest legislation, guidance & regulations (April 2015). • A holistic Local Plan - strategy, development management policies, site allocations and all aspects of infrastructure planning to meet growth needs. • Allocates 14 sites for schools over 15 years • Plus policies to be used in determining planning applications on these and any other sites for schools too • Important to recognise the wider importance & regeneration benefits of schools too
Presumption explained • The purpose of designated Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land is: “to protect and enhance the openness, quality and permanence” of the area and particularly to protect against “inappropriate development” “except in very special circumstances”. Emerging Hounslow Local Plan Policy and London Plan give MOL the • same consideration as the NPPF provides to Green Belt • These offer a very high level of protection - with a presumption against “inappropriate” development - but MOL is not sacrosanct from any development • ‘Appropriate’ development is permitted • Development is permitted in ‘very special circumstances’
Sequential assessment • To help identify sufficient supply and bring forward first the most appropriate ‘sustainable’ sites for school expansion • Large dataset of all potential sites for school expansion and new schools – range of locations, suitability for new schools or expansions, size and type. Identifies levels deliverability / availability • Informs Local Plan allocations • Starting point for new school providers own sequential search for sites • 2011 study updated and refined several times, most recent early 2014. Further update commissioned (finalise December 2015).
Local Plan sites • Allocated sites drawn from the Sequential Assessment – listed at para 4.32 • Sites suitable for a range of needs over the whole plan period • School promoters then use this Assessment and dataset as their starting point – demonstrate how THE BOROUGH’S specific educational need and the SCHOOL can best be met with available sites, ranked in sequential preference, at that point in time • But we need flexibility too - – projections of place need are complex – working with the national free school/academy presumption – if no allocated site fits the specific educational need or school requirements
Determining planning applications • Planning permission is required for permanent schools. General planning principles apply (section 38.6) • Extensive pre-application processes – educational and town planning. Council working with Hounslow School’s Reference Group, the EFA and individual new school trust - to guide and influence EFA funding allocations and planning proposals • Planning application then made by EFA & school trust • Planning Committee decision may need to strike difficult balance of competing planning objectives
Key policies and “other material planning considerations” • Key policies outlined (para 4.40-43) • Meeting the need for schools – HLP Policies CI2, IMP2, GB3 – London Plan Policy 3.18, • Protection of the open spaces including MOL – HLP GB1-2-3 – London Plan Policy 7.17 • Material (or not) planning considerations ? (Para 4.44) • NPPF para 72 (above) is an important material consideration
Further processes in relation to MOL & Green Belt • Schemes over 1,000sqm on MOL or Green Belt or 2ha of open play space must be referred to Mayor of London • 2 stage process – Stage 1 - Mayor comments on planning application – Stage 2 - potential ‘call-in’ after Planning Committee resolution to approve • Departure applications on MOL & GB over 1000sqm referred to Secretary of State for potential ‘call-in’ after Planning Committee resolution to approve
Education context and background • London-wide challenge of population and school population growth, particularly acute in this borough • Hounslow and GLA have a good record on forecasts but… • Forecasts and projections are technically challenging with big uncertainties outside of our control • Forecast need for 24% increase in primary places 2012- 2017 • Forecast need for additional 28FE of secondary provision by 2019 • Level of need not expected to dip below peak until 2030… • Council has the duty to ensure capacity of high quality education provision offered, but operating in the constraints of the free schools / academies system of funding and provision
Provide primary school places close to location of need • More geographic flexibility for secondary schools – but • complexities of offering parent choice of school type (Growth also required by 18year old leaving age and 2year old • provision)
Provision and expansion • Working with EFA and Academy and Free School Reference Group where common objectives and principles • To achieve high quality new school places of the right type and where and when the Council needs them – Screening school providers with A&FSRG – Influencing the EFA funding cycle processes and offers to new schools to operate in a general location – Influencing site selection decisions of EFA & school trust for the new school
Key implications • All the general planning principles apply but both education and MOL are important. New ‘holistic’ Local Plan addressing all issues including schools • Sequential preference applied using up-to-date dataset and all available processes. Local Plan and processes exhaust all other possibilities before resort to use of MOL and Green Belt sites • Long term growth but with geographic and time period ‘hot spots’ of need, and need to work with EFA processes. Need positive Local Plan and flexibility & contingency too • Planning Committee will make the decisions about use of MOL – addressing the ‘very special circumstances’ demonstrated on a ‘real’ case by case basis
Q&A and contributions
Local Plan evidence – projected requirement over period 2015-30
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