Agenda item

(1)       Mr K G Lynes was present for this item pursuant to Committee Procedure Rule 2.24 and spoke;

(2)       Correspondence from Mr T Draper (a local resident) and Mr J A Davies suggesting a deferment pending a Members’ site visit was tabled. 

(3)       The Head of Planning Applications Group informed the Committee of late correspondence from Mr A J King in support of the proposal subject to appropriate conditions.

(4)       The Head of Planning Applications Group informed the Committee of late correspondence from Sport England requesting a condition requiring details of the Community Use scheme prior to first use of the site; from Tunbridge Wells Environmental Health requesting that full details of the proposed biomass plant be submitted to them for consultation and requesting the inclusion of an Air Quality Assessment as an evidence base in the preparation of the school travel plan. These requests were all agreed. The Committee was also informed that Tunbridge Wells Environmental Health had requested that the travel plan should require the use of low emission school busses, but the head of Planning Applications Group did not consider it would be a reasonable requirement.

(5)       The Head of Planning Applications Group summarised late correspondence from the following local residents:-

(a)               Mrs l Jackson; 

(b)               Mrs J Guthrie;

(c)               Mr J Pomeroy;

(d)               Mrs B Kiely;

(e)               Mr T Draper;

(f)                 Mrs M Henson;  and

(g)               Advance Land and Planning Ltd on behalf of Leonard Cheshire Disability.

(5)       Mr R Backhouse (local ward councillor); a resident from the Leonard Cheshire Disability Seven Springs Home; Mr Shorrick (Sandown Park and Blackhurst Lane Local Community Group); Mr D Simmonds (RPS on behalf of Mrs A Flynn – local resident); Mr J Kiely and  Mr C Jackson (local residents) addressed the Committee in opposition to the application. Mr C Everett (Deputy Chair of The Skinners Company) and Mr M Page (DHA on behalf of Wilmott Dixon) spoke in reply on behalf of the applicants.  

(6)       The Committee specified that use of the external amphitheatre should be by the academy only.  It also asked for the inclusion of an Informative that the road improvements should be installed as swiftly as possible and that they should make all reasonable effort to ensure that the works were undertaken during the School Holiday period in order to minimise the impact upon the local community and road users. 

(7)       On being put to the vote, the recommendations of the Head of Planning Applications Group (as amended in (6) above) were carried unanimously.

(8)               RESOLVED that: -

(a)               permission be granted to the proposal subject to conditions, including conditions covering a 5 year implementation period; the development being carried out in accordance with the permitted details; junction improvements being implemented in full (in accordance with final details to be agreed with the Highway Authority) prior to first occupation of the new Academy; details of the Community Use scheme being submitted for approval prior to first use of the site; on-site vehicles parking and turning areas being provided (as detailed within the application) prior to first occupation of the new Academy and maintained in perpetuity thereafter; coach, vehicle and cycle parking (as detailed within the application) being made available for the community use associated with Sites 1 and 2 at all times when the community facilities are in use; a pedestrian link between the main Academy car park area and Sandown Park (to access sports facilities on Site 2) being provided and maintained for users of the all weather pitch; pedestrian footway reinstatement (including full kerbing) at the two existing pedestrian entrances which are to be closed, as detailed within the application; pedestrian enhancement facilities being carried out (as detailed within the application) prior to the first occupation of the new Academy; a pre-construction highway condition survey being undertaken prior to commencement of the works in Sandown Park and Blackhurst Lane, together with a post completion survey and completion of any consequential remedial measures; measures to guard against the deposit of mud and debris on the public highway during construction/demolition operations; a requirement for the applicant to fund the reasonable installation of waiting restrictions on surrounding residential roads should they prove necessary in the future; the submission of a new School Travel Plan (including an Air Quality Assessment), its implementation and ongoing monitoring; the submission of a Code of Construction Practice; details of ground contamination; the submission of lighting details for car park/general areas for approval by the County Panning Authority; full implementation of the ecological recommendations for precautionary mitigation being carried out prior to commencement of the development; a programme of archaeological work, including a historic site survey and a watching brief on below ground works; the submission of details of external materials for approval by the County Planning Authority; the submission of acoustic details of all external plant/equipment on new the Academy building; details and specification of all fencing proposed on Sites 1 and 2 for approval by the County Planning Authority; hours of construction being limited to: Monday to Friday 08:00-18:00, Saturday 09:00-13:00, and no operations on Sunday and Bank Holidays; the submission of detailed landscape/vegetation planting schemes for Sites 1 and 2, their implementation within the first planting season following the completion of development and maintenance for a period of 5 years thereafter; tree protection details being implemented on Sites 1 and 2 in accordance with British Standard 5837:2005 (Trees in Relation to Construction); noise levels of biomass fuel deliveries being limited to ensure that the rating level emanating from the facility does not exceed the background noise level at nearby residential properties by +5 dB when assessed in accordance with BS 4142; hours of use of the floodlit MUGAs (Site 1) being limited to: Monday to Friday 08:30-22:00, Saturday 08:30-21:00, Sunday and Bank Holidays 08:30-20:00; hours of use of the all weather pitch (Site 2) being limited to: Monday to Thursday 08:30-21:00, Friday 08:30-20:00, Saturday 10:00-16:00, and no use on Sunday and Bank Holidays; hours of use of the external amphitheatre (Site 1) being limited to Monday to Saturday 08:30-19:30 and for Academy use only, and no use on Sunday and Bank Holidays; and details of the biomass boiler being submitted for approval by the County Planning Authority following consultation with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council;  and

        (b)           the applicant be advised by way of Informatives of the following matters:-

(i)                 the applicant is required to seek an Environmental Permit from the Environment Agency to operate the proposed biomass boiler;

(ii)    the Low/Medium/Intermediate pressure gas mains in proximity    to the application sites;

 (iii)     that lighting for the car park/general areas should be designed to meet an average of 10 lux with a uniformity of 0.25 to meet ILE Best Practice guidelines; and

(iv)     that the Committee considers that the road improvements should be installed as swiftly as possible and that the applicant should make all reasonable effort to ensure that the works are undertaken during the School Holiday period in order to minimise the impact upon the local community and road users.