Sydenham school must demolish buildings after breaching planning permission

 

A school in Sydenham is expected to be “significantly demolished” and rebuilt to be make it compliant with planning permission after the outcome of an inquiry.

Lewisham Council was involved in the planning inquiry after contractors for the Archdiocese of Southwark failed to comply with planning consent when building a new school.

Our Lady and St Philip Neri Primary School is undergoing re-development in partnership with the Archdiocese.

In 2016, Lewisham approved plans to demolish the existing buildings on the OLSPN site in Sydenham Road and build a three-storey school.

But after construction began it became clear that the building “varied significantly from the original planning permission granted”, leaving residents, councillors, and the local authority very concerned.

The main issues of contention are to do with design – the type of cladding that was installed, the type and size of windows, the roof, guttering, and drainpipes, external lighting, and air vents.

The height of the building, work on which has since halted, is also a concern.

The Archdiocese submitted a section 73 application, that would allow it to vary the agreed conditions. This was rejected by the council in May 2019.

Lewisham issued an enforcement notice in October of the same year ordering the Archdiocese to either rebuild the school in a way that is compliant (Option A) or make a series of changes to the build, including replacing the cladding and windows with what was originally agreed (Option B).

During the inquiry it was clarified that Option A requires rebuilding “in accordance with the approved plans”.

“It does not of itself require demolition, although it is of course highly likely that there may be significant demolition in order to achieve Option A,” according to the council.

Following the inquiry, the planning inspector has ordered that Option B be taken off the table.

The inquiry specifically looked into an appeal from the Archdiocese on the enforcement notice, as well as an appeal on its section 73 scheme refusal – both were dismissed by the planning inspector in a decision published on May 12.

The appellant argued that the proposed options, which also included two more later put forward by an architect for the council, were not “viable”.

They said the section 73 scheme “achieves most closely the ascertainable design intentions of the consented 2016 scheme” and “it is clear that the 2016 permission is unimplementable”.

The council argued that the “built scheme does not comply with policy”.

“In essence, it is low quality, poorly detailed, and is harmful to the character and appearance of the local street scene,” it said.

The planning inspector, Zoë Franks, heard from concerned residents, architects for the Archdiocese and council, planning consultants, the school’s headteacher, and councillors during the inquiry.

Julia Webb, who lives close by, represented Fairlawn Park Residents as a Rule 6 party at the inquiry.

The Rule 6 party said that the council failed to properly reconsult neighbours once the extent of the planning breaches were acknowledged.

FPR said the scheme as built is “unrecognisable” from the approved development, while the building is too tall, overbearing and “looms over the neighbourhood”.

The section 73 scheme used a Wetherby render in a grey colour instead of a panel cladding system as originally consented to.

Ms Franks said: “The use of the proposed render, which would not appear as a high-quality material if used at such volume in this location, would cause the building to appear overly prominent and large, and cause material harm to the street scene.”

The windows as fitted are not the size agreed in the original planning consent – the same goes for their placing and their frames.

“The windows installed on the first floor of the northern elevation do not align fully with the ground floor window openings which creates an awkward and unsymmetrical arrangement and adds to the harm caused to the street scene,” the inspector concluded.

She described the roof profile as “clumsy”, while the pitched roof would also would “look clumsy and add to the feeling of bulk which would cause harm”.

“For the reasons set out above, the proposals would cause material harm to the character and appearance of the area which is in conflict with development plan polices relating to the attainment of a high standard of design.

“The appeal should therefore be dismissed unless there are any material considerations which indicate otherwise,” she said.

The Archdiocese also argued that demolishing or making substantial alterations to the school would not be in the interest of pupils, and said it could potentially result in the closure of the school.

The inspector concluded that it is “in the short and long-term interests of the community as a whole, and of the current and future pupils” that the school is of a “good design which is not in conflict with the development plan and the framework”.

Ms Franks added that the appellant failed to present “compelling evidence” as to why the school would have to close permanently.

She added that there are several options available to the Archdiocese and school, such as working over holidays over several years or by decanting part or all of the school for a shorter period of time.

The inspector concluded: “The harm caused to the character and appearance of the area by the section 73 scheme would be significant and would not be outweighed by consideration of the best interests of children taken alone or in conjunction with the other considerations as set out above.”

She also dismissed the enforcement notice appeal and removed Option B – she said Option A is “clear and precise”.

The Archdiocese has applied for the council to cover all or some of its inquiry costs, labelling the planning authority “unreasonable”, having caused “unnecessary or wasted expense”.

It said the council delayed the development “which should clearly be permitted”, made “vague, generalised or inaccurate assertions” about the proposals’ impact, and was slow to act after their appeal was lodged.

But the council has urged the planning inspectorate to throw out the costs application.

“The council is firmly of the view that the appeals were not able to be avoided, this application for costs is fundamentally unreasonable,” Lewisham said in its response, adding both parties should cover their own appeal expenses.

The decision on costs will be made at a later date.

 

Source: LondonNewsOnline

 

 

 

 

BWF Fire Door Alliance launches ‘Be Certain, Be Certified’ campaign

 

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Fire Door Alliance has launched an awareness campaign, Be Certain, Be Certified, to highlight the importance of third-party certification of fire doors in improving fire safety standards across the UK. The campaign addresses a “clear lack of understanding” over what certification is and the vital role it plays in protecting lives.

Be Certain, Be Certified calls for the adoption of third-party certification of fire doors throughout all UK buildings to raise the standards of fire door safety and help protect lives. It also provides detailed information on fire door safety ahead of upcoming legislation – the Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill – which will strengthen regulation over fire safety for all building types.

An informational platform, Be Certain, Be Certified offers guidance and resources to anyone who is responsible for specifying fire doors in any UK building. The campaign also gives expert insight into the third-party certification of fire doors, detailing the testing, verification of product performance and manufacturing process controls undertaken by an independent body.

Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation said, “Fire doors play an essential role in protecting building occupants from the spread of smoke and fire and can be the difference between life and death. But there is a clear lack of understanding throughout the supply chain over fire door performance and compliance, which means we continue to see fire doors that are not fit for purpose used across the UK, putting lives at risk.

“Ahead of the biggest changes to fire safety legislation in recent times, through the introduction of the Fire Safety and Building Safety Bills and the proposed technical review of Approved Document B, now is the time for all building owners, landlords and specifiers to ensure that their fire doors meet the correct standards. Only through specifying fire doors that are third-party certified can building owners, managers and occupants have peace of mind that their fire doors will be fit for purpose, in terms of fire resistance and smoke control, and perform as designed in the event of a fire.”

Third-party certification of fire doors provides independent evidence of the performance of a fire door and ensures that its performance data was not a one-off result. A robust process, fire door third-party certification requires fire door manufacturers and processors to be audited by a third-party, fire door assemblies to be tested to industry standards and ongoing audits carried out to ensure all products are tested appropriately and produced to a consistent standard.

Third-party certified fire doors manufactured, or modified, by a BWF Fire Door Alliance member, carry a label with a unique code. This provides access to vital information such as the name of the fire door manufacturer or processor, certification information and the product specification and production records. The primary label will also show the fire door rating for its minimum tested burn performance, for example FD30 which denotes a minimum 30-minute burn time.

Helen Hewitt, CEO added: “There is currently no mandatory requirement under Building Regulations for organisations, public or private, to use third-party certified fire doors, and we’ve seen a significant number continuing to use non-certified doors, despite knowing the dangers that improper fire doors pose to building occupants and users.

“At the BWF Fire Door Alliance we believe the only way to ensure a fire door is fit for purpose is through third-party certification. Alongside the Be Certain, Be Certified campaign, we will continue to lobby for a regulated regime of independent third-party certification of fire doors to be enshrined in law to help protect lives across the country.”

For more information about third-party certification and the Be Certain, Be Certified campaign, visit:

 

A South Derbyshire secondary school could be getting a multi-million pound extension to cope with the rising pupil numbers due to new homes being built in the area.

Bosses at John Port Spencer Academy, in Main Street, Etwall, have lodged plans which could see a two-storey extension to the science building, a two-storey extension to the sixth-form building, and a new single storey, which will be two-storey in scale, dining and kitchen building.

Plans are also set to include the expansion of the existing car park too.

Due to the expansion of other existing buildings, the car park will be reconfigured resulting in a loss of 23 current spaces but there will be an overall increase of 35 parking spaces.

If the application, submitted to South Derbyshire District Council, gets the go ahead, it will increase the school’s capacity for 11 to 16-year-old pupils from 1,800 to 2,100, and its sixth form from 313 pupils to 400.

A report submitted alongside the application says: “Additional accommodation is proposed to support the expansion of the academy from 2,113 to 2,500 pupils, meeting current demand for pupil places in the academy’s catchment area.

“The main purpose of the proposed accommodation is to support the expansion of the school to meet increased demand for pupil places in the area. Without this expansion, local children may be faced with having to travel outside the local area and catchment for their education. School expansion is imperative for the school to continue to provide education opportunities for its local community.”

The report also noted that during the plan’s consultation period, there were comments from local residents and businesses who were concerned about existing and proposed traffic around the main

The report said these concerns were addressed with the individuals directly “to explain how the proposals go a long way to increase parking provision on site and move pupil/parent parking/drop off to the overflow parking area away from the main entrances”.

The academy has been expanded over the years and there are now 15 faculty buildings, including the joint-use Etwall Leisure Centre, but excluding the Sure Start Children’s Centre building., the report says.

A decision is due to be made in the next few months by the district council.

Source: Staffordshire Live

How Littleborough Community Primary School (left) and Whitworth Community High School (right) could look under govt rebuild plans

Images: Wates Print

 

Artist impression of how Littleborough Community Primary School could look. Image: Wates

Artist impressions of how two local schools which are to be rebuilt, could look, have been released ahead of planning applications being submitted.

Both Whitworth Community High School and Littleborough Community Primary School are to be rebuilt by construction firm Wates under the government’s new 10-year school rebuilding programme.

Kingsway Park High in Rochdale and Newhouse Academy in Heywood (formerly Siddal Moor) will also both benefit from substantial building work, but will not be totally rebuilt.

National construction company, Wates Construction has been selected by the Department for Education to design and build the new school buildings.

 

Littleborough Community Primary School

The new Littleborough Community Primary School building will deliver a replacement new school with 14 new classrooms, new sports/assembly hall, nursery, for a 420 place school (60 places in each year group) and a 26 place nursery.

Work on the new site is due to start from September 2021 and will be on land within the Littleborough campus so that a smooth transition to the new building can happen.

Speaking when the plans were first revealed earlier this year, Louise Woodman, headteacher at Littleborough Community Primary, said: “I am delighted that we have been chosen for a new school. This is going to be really exciting for us and the wider community. Our children will be so thrilled and this is going to be hugely beneficial for them.”

The planning application for the new Littleborough Community Primary School is due to be submitted next month.

You can view the proposals and submit questions and comments to the design team by 27 April prior to the application being made: CLICK HERE

 

Whitworth Community High School

Whitworth High is largely a 1960s prefabricated building, aside from the lottery-funded sports hall, which was constructed around 15 years ago. Part of the school was reconstructed in the early 2000s whilst the former humanities block, a separate building, was demolished more recently, around a decade ago.

The new main school building will be between two and three storeys high, set within a new landscaped setting, and the car parking will also be relocated within the site. There will be no change to staff and pupil numbers.

The school will remain fully operational during the build process, without the need for any temporary teaching accommodation, and the older buildings are to be demolished after the new buildings are brought into use.

In a letter to parents in February, Gillian Middlemas, headteacher of Whitworth High, said: “Our school is a 1960s building and has served the community well.

“We all know that buildings don’t make a school. What makes a school is vision – powered by commitment, challenge, common purpose and a caring community. But having a new, environmentally friendly, 21st century place to learn and to work will be of great benefit to everyone.

“This is a fantastic boost for our students, staff and families and for our whole community. Ours is a school which is at the heart of the community and which is in the hearts of the community, and our new building will enrich the learning experience of our young people and be a proud, bold and forward-looking landmark for Whitworth.”

Subject to achieving planning permission, construction will start on site in September 2021. The aim is for the new building to be completed by the end of 2022, with the remaining works (building demolition etc.) due to be completed by the beginning of 2024.

Questions and comments on Whitworth Community High School’s plans must be made no later than 20 April 2021,  view the proposals online: CLICK HERE

 

Source: Rochdale Online