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architecture town planning interior design urban design Proposed relocation of The Thomas Alleyne School to land at Great Ashby, Stevenage Public Consultation Report October 2009 prepared by Vincent and Gorbing

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Page 1: to land at Great Ashby, Stevenage · Analysis of responses 4.3 A detailed analysis of the questionnaires received at the first exhibition is contained at Appendix 7 and a detailed

architecture

town planning

interior design

urban design

Proposed relocation of The Thomas Alleyne School to land at Great Ashby, Stevenage

Public Consultation Report October 2009

prepared by Vincent and Gorbing

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009

DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR THE RELOCATION AND EXPANSION OF THOMAS ALLEYNE SCHOOL TO LAND AT GREAT ASHBY PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT CONTENTS

PAGE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1

2.0 FIRST PUBLIC EXHIBITION

2

3.0 SECOND PUBLIC EXHIBITION

5

4.0 QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS

9

APPENDICES 1 Flyer for first exhibition 2 Flyer / newsletter distribution area 3 Comet advert 25 June 2009 4 Exhibition boards for first exhibition 5 Exhibition factsheet 6 Exhibition questionnaire 7 Analysis of first exhibition questionnaire responses 8 BSF Newsletter September 2009 9 Comet advert 10 September 2009 10 Additional boards for second exhibition 11 Analysis of second exhibition questionnaire

responses 12 Note of public meeting 13 Home addresses of exhibition attendees

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 This report relates to an outline planning application submitted on

behalf of Hertfordshire County Council (Children, Schools and

Families Service) on 3 July 2009.

1.2 The planning application contains proposals for the relocation and

expansion of the Thomas Alleyne School to a site at Great Ashby

as part of the wider ‘Building Schools for the Future’ (BSF)

programme for Stevenage.

1.3 The County Council’s planning application proposals are described

in more detail in the Design and Access Statement accompanying

the planning application.

1.4 In this report, we describe the public consultation exercise that has

been carried out by the County Council in respect of the planning

application proposals, focused on two public exhibitions held on 9

July and 22 September 2009.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 2

2.0 FIRST PUBLIC EXHIBITION

2.1 The first public exhibition was commissioned solely by Hertfordshire

County Council as applicant.

Venue

2.2 The exhibition was held at the Round Diamond Primary School on

Thursday 9 July 2009 between 4pm and 9 pm.

Publicity

2.3 The exhibition was widely advertised in advance as follows

• A flyer was sent to over 1,500 households living in the Great

Ashby area. A copy of the flyer is contained at Appendix 1 and a copy of a plan showing the distribution area at

Appendix 2.

• An announcement of the exhibition details was placed in all

editions of the local newspaper covering the Stevenage and

North Hertfordshire area, the Comet, on 25 June 2009

(Appendix 3).

• A personal invitation to the exhibition was sent to governors

at the existing Thomas Alleyne School, officers and

members of North Hertfordshire District Council, officers and

members of Stevenage Borough Council, members of the

County Council and the Stevenage Member of Parliament

(Barbara Follett).

Exhibition material

2.4 Twelve exhibition boards describing the planning application

proposals and their wider context were on display on the exhibition.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 3

2.5 Copies of the exhibition boards are contained at Appendix 4.

Following the exhibition, the boards were posted on the County

Council’s web-site.

Exhibition manning

2.6 The exhibition was manned by representatives of

• The County Council’s Children Schools & Families Service.

• MACE Group, the County Council’s Project Management

consultant.

• Other County Council consultants including Vincent &

Gorbing (town planning), Wormald Burrows Partnership

(transport, drainage and services), Astudio (architects) and

Plincke (landscape architects).

Exhibition attendance

2.7 People attending the exhibition were asked to sign a visitors’ book

upon entering the school hall.

2.8 A total of 280 persons signed the visitor’s book.

Exhibition factsheet

2.9 Copies of a factsheet were made available to people attending the

exhibition (Appendix 5).

2.10 The factsheet also provided details of where to send formal

representations on the planning applications.

Questionnaire

2.11 All persons attending the exhibition were asked to fill in a

questionnaire (Appendix 6).

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 4

2.12 A total of 111 questionnaires were completed and returned. An

analysis of the questionnaire responses is contained at Appendix 7.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 5

3.0 SECOND PUBLIC EXHIBITION

3.1 The second exhibition was held jointly with the Great Ashby

Community Group and followed criticism that some key consultees

had not been formally invited to the first exhibition, including the

Community Group itself, the Member of Parliament for

Hertfordshire North East (Oliver Heald) and the Weston and

Graveley Parish Councils.

3.2 The opportunity was also taken at the exhibition to respond to a

number of points made at the first exhibition and to present revised

access proposals.

Venue

3.3 The second exhibition was held in the Great Ashby Community

Centre on Tuesday 22 September 2009 between 6pm and 7.30 pm

and was followed by a Public Meeting which commenced at

approximately 8 pm and finished at 10 pm.

Publicity

3.4 The exhibition was also widely advertised in advance as follows

• A newsletter containing details of the exhibition / meeting

was sent to over 2,000 households living in the Great Ashby

area. A copy of the newsletter is contained at Appendix 8

• The distribution area was extended to include additional

households living in the south-eastern part of Great Ashby

(see plan at Appendix 2).

• The newsletter, which has a circulation of around 13,000,

was also circulated widely in the town and was posted on the

County Council’s website.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 6

• A personal invitation to the exhibition was sent to governors

at the existing Thomas Alleyne School, officers and

members of North Hertfordshire District Council, officers and

members of Stevenage Borough Council, members of the

County Council, the Weston and Graveley Parish Councils

and the Stevenage and Hertfordshire North East Members of

Parliament.

• An announcement of the exhibition details was placed in all

editions of the local newspaper covering the Stevenage and

North Hertfordshire area, the Comet, on 10 September 2009

(Appendix 9).

• The exhibition was advertised on the Great Ashby

Community Association’s website and at the Community

Centre.

Exhibition material

3.5 In addition to the twelve previous exhibition boards, four additional

boards were included in the second exhibition, titled as follows

• Need for a new school.

• Alternative site search.

• SNAP Action Plan.

• Revised access proposal.

3.6 Copies of the four additional boards are contained at Appendix 10.

Following the exhibition, the four additional boards were posted on

the County Council’s web-site.

Exhibition manning

3.7 The exhibition was manned by representatives of

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 7

• The County Council’s Children Schools & Families Service.

• MACE Group, the County Council’s Project Management

consultant.

• Other County Council consultants including Vincent &

Gorbing (town planning), Wormald Burrows Partnership

(transport, drainage and services), Astudio (architects) and

Plincke (landscape architects).

3.8 Members of the Great Ashby Community Group were also in

attendance.

Exhibition attendance

3.9 People attending the exhibition were asked to sign a visitors’ book

upon entering the school hall.

3.10 A total of 151 persons signed the visitor’s book.

Exhibition factsheet

3.11 Copies of the same factsheet provided at the first exhibition were

made available to people attending the exhibition (Appendix 5).

Questionnaire

3.12 All persons attending the exhibition were asked to fill in a copy of

the same questionnaire provided at the first exhibition (Appendix 6).

3.13 A total of 66 questionnaires were completed and returned. An

analysis of the questionnaire responses is contained at Appendix 11.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 8

Public meeting

3.14 The public meeting was attended by around 100 persons and was

chaired by Evelyn Goldwater of the Great Ashby Community

Group. The meeting was also attended by Oliver Heald MP (part

only), Councillor Richard Thake (HCC and NHDC), Councillors Sal

Jarvis and Lee Downie (NHDC), Councillor Sharon Taylor (HCC

and SBC) and Councillor Alan Lines (Graveley Parish Council).

3.15 A panel of speakers gave short presentations at the

commencement of the meeting as follows

• Andy Cunningham (HCC Children School’s and Families

Service) – educational need.

• Richard Parsons (Vincent & Gorbing) – town planning

issues.

• Geoff Burrows (Wormald Burrows Partnership) – transport

considerations.

• Dick Bowler (Hertfordshire Property) – procedural and

property matters.

3.16 Following the presentations, the floor was opened to questions and

around 30 questions were asked and answered. A meeting note

prepared by Owen Smith in behalf of the Great Ashby Community

Association is contained at Appendix 12.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 9

4.0 QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS

Location of home addresses

4.1 The table at Appendix 13 shows the home addresses of the

persons who filled in the questionnaires at the two exhibitions and

specified their home address.

4.2 The table indicates that the majority of questionnaires were

completed by residents in the streets immediately adjacent to the

proposed site access i.e. Grampian Place, Cleveland Way, Mendip

Way, The Chilterns, Cromdale Walk, Fairfield Crescent, Merrick

Close and The Beacons.

Analysis of responses

4.3 A detailed analysis of the questionnaires received at the first

exhibition is contained at Appendix 7 and a detailed analysis of the

questionnaires received at the second exhibition is contained at

Appendix 11.

4.4 A summary analysis of the 177 questionnaires received at both

exhibitions is set out below in question order.

Question 1 - On a scale of 1 to 5 please rate how useful you have found this exhibition (1 being very useful)?

4.5 The answers to this question were as follows

• 1 – 20.6%

• 2 – 26.2%

• 3 – 20.6%

• 4 – 21.7%

• 5 – 10.9%

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 10

Question 2 – Do you agree that the relocation and expansion of The Thomas Alleyne School from its existing site in Stevenage Old Town to a new site in Great Ashby is an appropriate way to provide some of the additional secondary school capacity in the town?

4.6 The answers to this question were as follows

• Agree – 44.5%

• Disagree – 52.0%

• Not sure – 3.5%

Question 3 – Do you agree that the site chosen at Great Ashby is the best available site for the relocated and expanded school? If not, where do you think that the school should be located?

4.7 The answers to this question were as follows

• Agree – 28.3%

• Disagree – 59.6%

• Not sure – 12.1%

4.8 In response to the second part of this question, the following

specific alternative sites were put forward

• Dixons site, Pin Green – 15

• Existing Thomas Alleyne School site – 10

• Land at Weston Road (NES3) – 2

• St Nicholas Park – 1

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 11

Other comments

4.9 Space was included on the rear of the questionnaire for other

comments.

4.10 The main comments related to

• The impact of the traffic generation and car parking on

nearby residential properties – 97 comments.

• The loss of open space / woodland / Green Belt – 37

comments.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 12

APPENDIX 1

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Building Schools for the Future

EXHIBITION

We want your views Hertfordshire County Council has recently submitted an outline planning application for the relocation of The Thomas Alleyne School from its existing location in the Old Town, to a new site at Great Ashby. The location of the application site is shown overleaf. This is to inform you that an exhibition of the planning application proposals will be held as follows Date: Thursday 9 July 2009 Time: 5pm to 9pm Venue: Round Diamond Primary School The exhibition will also describe the wider Building Schools for the Future process and proposals for Stevenage. Please come along and give us your views. Representatives from the County Council will be available to answer your questions and let you have details of how to submit formal comments to the planning authority.

Proposed relocation of The Thomas Alleyne School

to Great Ashby

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The proposed site location for the relocation of The Thomas Alleyne School

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 13

APPENDIX 2

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 14

APPENDIX 3

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Newsadvertising 01438 866075 news 01438 866200 web www.thecomet24.co.uk

MP for Stevenage, Barbara Follett, hasrepaid £32,976 in expenses moneyclaimed – the third largest single sumrepaid by any MP so far.

Mrs Follett, wife of millionare authorKen Follett, claimed £139,147 in expensesfor the year 2007/08, of which £22,254 wassecond home allowance.

She has repaid £25,411 claimed forsecurity patrols around her London homefrom 2004/05 to 2007/08, as well as moneyclaimed for the yet unpublished period2008/09.

She has also repaid money claimed forthe repair and cleaning of a child’s rug,which she says was “claimed in error”.

Last month, The Comet reported howMrs Follett had requested £528.75 to havea Chinese needlepoint rug repaired andcleaned, but that was deemed excessive bythe fees office and she was handed backjust £300.

Mrs Follett said: “After careful consid-eration of the letters and feedback I havereceived from my Stevenage constituents,I decided to repay the amounts.

“The fees office did not ask me to dothis, nor did they feel that it was necessaryfor me to do this.

“But some of my constituents, whoseopinion I value and respect, did. The factthese expenses were claimed in accordancewith the rules and the spirit of the GreenBook did not matter to them.

“I felt the only way to make it quiteclear that I have never wanted to profit inany way at all from my role as their MPwas to pay these particular expensesback.”

She said she will be sending a letter toeach of her constituents, at her ownexpense, about these claims, beforeParliament recesses in July.

Over the course of the financial year2007/08, Mrs Follett claimed for three vis-its from a pest control company, costing atotal of £624.34.

She also claimed for having her win-dows cleaned every three weeks - costingtaxpayers’ £97.53 every time.

During a three-month period, MrsFollett claimed £2,318.19 for stationery,£321.68 for photocopying and £416 forcleaning.

Taxpayers paid £65.45 for businesscards, £34.74 for six pencils, and £69.48for a back support, said by the manufac-turer to “reduce tension by maintainingthe lumbar curve of your lower back”.

Other claims included £13.42 for fourerasers, £233.71 for a printer cartridge,and £1,363.36 for council tax.

She said: “I have posted a link to all myclaims and backing invoices on my web-site, with an explanatory summary of theamounts involved. I will be doing thisevery month in future.”

MP for Mid Beds, Nadine Dorries,has had her home targeted by van-dals in what appears to be anattack motivated by her expensesclaims.

Ms Dorries claimed a total of£152,318 in expenses for the year2007/08, of which £22,528 was secondhome allowance.

The MP said she arrived home onWednesday night last week to find herpatio furniture in pieces.

She then received a comment on herblog, which reads: “Nice patioNadine…or was.”

Ms Dorries said: “Thank goodnessmy daughter stayed at a friend’s thatnight.”

She said she did not claim for thepatio furniture - it was a present fromher mother.

Ms Dorries has claimed £18,000 inrent on her second home, £1,038.89 fora tumble dryer, a cooker and a dish-washer, £254 for a photoshoot, and£318.77 for a Tom Tom navigation sys-tem.

Two packets of luxury biscuits costtaxpayers £34.38, she claimed£1,553.95 in council tax, and £599.10for an overdue telephone bill.

She has also claimed £19.92 for aleather case for her Blackberry, £183.85for an air conditioning unit, and £495for movie editing.

On her blog, she said: “I have notused the allowance to buy furniture,sofas, plasma screen TVs, gardening,decorating, home repairs or any luxuryitems.

“I furnished [my second home] withitems from my main home, a couple ofdonations from my mother, and beds Ipaid for myself.”

But she did admit using theallowance to buy a cooker, dryer, desk,computer table, and storage boxes.

She said she has not claimed the £400per month food allowance or the £250petty cash each month.

She has admitted purchasing and los-ing two digital cameras and breaking asatnav.

She said: “The atmosphere inWestminster is unbearable. Everyonefears a suicide. If someone isn’t seen,offices are called and checked.”

She blamed the fact there has neverbeen a Prime Minister with the courageto stand up to the media and award MPsthe pay rise proposed by the SeniorSalary Review Board. Instead,allowances have been increased.

NORTH East Herts MP Oliver Healdclaimed £156,594 in expenses in theyear 2007-08, of which £22,979 wassecond home allowance.

In a two-month period, Mr Healdclaimed £32.80 for pens and £96.30 for aselect band of newspapers which includedthe Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraphand The Comet for which he claimed 75pa week.

There were regular bills for office andmobile phone and bottled water.

A hole punch for his office cost taxpay-ers £7.99.

A replacement kitchen blind cost £58, areplacement defective valve in the WCand other works in the bathroom of hissecond home cost £678.

In one month, he claimed £72 forhousehold supplies including loo rolls,detergent, J Cloths and kitchen rolls.

In October 2007 Mr Heald claimed£375 for food, and claimed the sameamount for food the following month.

In February 2008 it amounted to £121.A breakdown of his other claims for thatmonth included £863 for interest pay-ments on his mortgage, £35 for utilities,£105.51 for council tax/rates, £128 forcleaning and £14.53 for water.

In a handwritten note to the parliamen-tary fees office, Mr Heald said: “As I men-tioned on the phone, Everest are finally atthe point of practical completion on thewindows contract for the flat. Takingaccount of the deposit and additional pay-ment of £1,500, the balance is £3,367.28.”

For the year, he claimed the £7,485which was paid to North East HertsConservative Association for providingadministrative services including £3,500for estimated constituency surgery costs.

Mr Heald has denied a constituent’sallegation that expenses claims he madefor petty cash amount to “possible seriousabuse” of the expenses system.

He said the money was used for generaloffice supplies, and to meet expenses ofwork experience volunteers.

Mr Heald made several petty cashclaims for £250 – the maximum amountallowed per month – amounting to £2,700in 2007/08, and £3,250 in 2006/07.

NORTH East Beds MP Alistair Burtclaimed £148,172 in expenses in the year2007-08, including £22,322 second homeallowance.

His claims over the last four years were made public on Thursday when all MPs’expenses were put online. Details of claims for landline and mobile phone bills andaccountancy services are revealed.

In 2007-08 Mr Burt charged for two taxi fares amounting to £16.50.A travel allowance application was for a journey on October 11, 2007 which cost

£25 but details of the departure point, destination and means of travel have beenblacked out by parliamentary officials.

Mr Burt claimed £48.30 for rail travel made by a member of his staff, £15 wenton village hall hire and £58.75 was spent on commissioning a report on the rentalvalue of Biggleswade Conservative Club office.

For much of 2007-08 Mr Burt claimed£1,516.67 a month for hotel stays.

One month he claimed £180 for cleaning. Mr Burt said: “The toll that the expenses row

has taken on confidence in Parliament has beenhuge, but we can now see some light. The com-bination of putting all claims in public view,restricting what claims can be made and deal-ing with errors made up to now should help.

“Some MPs have lost their jobs as the partieshave taken action. I hope people will now allowsome perspective on this, and get back to judg-ing MPs on what they do stand for, and howthey do their jobs as well as how they handlethe public’s trust over money.”

BARBARA FOLLETT MP

NADINE DORRIES MP

ALISTAIR BURT MP

OLIVER HEALD MPExpensesrevealed

PETER LILLEY MP

The full MPs' expenses publishedlast week show that Peter Lilleyspent taxpayers' money on an audiobook entitled Speeches ThatChanged The World.

The member for Hitchin andHarpenden put in the claim as partof his Incidental ExpensesProvision in 2007 to 2008, one ofhundreds of expenses claimstotalling £149,987 for the year.

The MP also claimed for aTomTom car navigator at £109.94as well as spending £54.90 on a tilt

and swivel holder and leather casefor a mobile phone. Newspaperscost the taxpayer £80.70 a month,and he claimed £796.94 for a com-puter system and £807.23 for aprinter.

In the same year Mr Lilleyclaimed the joint highest secondhome allowance in The Commons -a total of £23,083 for his secondhome in the borough ofWestminster. Chits included £3,407for a replacement boiler; £1,668 forrepairs to a shower and £1,185 onwindow repairs. His monthly mort-gage payment was £1,058.45.

By JOHN ADAMS,LOUISE McEVOY and

RICHARD YOUNG [email protected]

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Building Schools for the Future

EXHIBITION

Hertfordshire County Council is about to submit an outlineplanning application for the relocation of The Thomas AlleyneSchool from its existing location in the Old Town, to a new site

at Great Ashby.

An exhibition of the planning application proposals will be held as follows

Date: Thursday 9 July 2009Time: 5pm to 9pmVenue: Round Diamond Primary School

The exhibition will also describe the wider Building Schools for theFuture process and proposals for Stevenage.

Please come along and give us your views.

Proposed relocation ofThe Thomas Alleyne School

to Great Ashby

★ 1 New Trapdoor ★ 1 New 3 Section Aluminium Ladder

★ Extra Long Handrail ★ 2Support Arms ★ Fully Fitted

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* Kitchen * Bathrooms

* Extensions *All Carpentry

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is now based permanently in Stevenage, still offering the samegreat rates, whether your gold is broken or not!

So come along for a friendly, private and discreet, one-to-oneservice.It’s worth sorting through your jewellery boxes – You’ll be surprised at what you could be offered!

ALL GOLD IN ANY CONDITION BOUGHT FOR CASH INSTANTLYHome visits available

Remember your gold is recycled, not RE-SOLD

Lisa is now based At Office 16 Cromer House,

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 15

APPENDIX 4

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About this exhibition

This exhibition sets out Hertfordshire

County Council’s proposals for the

relocation and expansion of The Thomas

Alleyne School, from its existing site

in Stevenage Old Town to a new site in

Great Ashby.

The proposals are the subject of an outlineplanning application that has recently beensubmitted to the Local Planning Authority.

The purpose of the exhibition is to informparents, local residents and other interestedparties of the application proposals and how to make your views known to the Local Planning Authority.

The final board in this exhibition explains theprogramme for the implementation of theproposals should the planning application be approved.

The exhibition has been prepared by HertfordshireCounty Council in conjunction with The Thomas Alleyne School.

Proposed location of the new school.

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Building Schools for the Future

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is

the Government sponsored programme

aimed at transforming secondary school

education by funding the improvement of

school premises in England.

Over £200 million will be used to remodel,rebuild and refurbish Stevenage’s secondaryschools. Investment in secondary schoolselsewhere in the county will follow in a numberof separate phases.

Transforming schoolsInspiring learning

BSF is about transforming education and findingnew and innovative ways to change what is learntat school and how it is learnt.

Hertfordshire’s vision for secondary education

in the 21st century:

● the promotion of every child matters andpartnership working through innovative, co-ordinated design - from children’s centres through to FE settings

● a focus on improving the achievement and lifechances of vulnerable children and their families through integrated services

● an innovative learner-centred curriculum

● transformational ICT - for the curriculum,learners, teachers, leaders, parents and the wider community

● a strong programme of vocational learning

● 24/7 access for learning and leisure - theschool as central to the community

● healthy lifestyles for the whole community,with sports facilities and activities that arephysically accessible for all

● sustainable features to reduce each school’simpact on the environment and become keyfeatures of the curriculum

● inspirational buildings with light, wellventilated, attractive, flexible and excitinglearning environments

● environments to attract and retain the verybest teachers and staff

● an estate of buildings of excellent quality,robust and functional, to provide suitableaccommodation for the future learners in Hertfordshire

Building Schools for the Future is a oncein a lifetime opportunity to promotesomething new, radical and exciting forour schools.

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The BSF proposals for Stevenage

As a result of recent and planned housing

growth in Stevenage, the County Council

has estimated a need for secondary school

capacity in the town to accommodate 48

forms of entry (FE) by 2017. One FE

comprises 30 students per year group.

Currently the schools can accommodate

43.6 FE.

Our proposals to accommodate this

growth:

● a proposal to re-locate and expand TheThomas Alleyne School to Great Ashby

● the expansion of Barclay School on its existing site

● the remodelling of John Henry NewmanSchool on its existing site

● the development of Barnwell School on thecombined existing Heathcote and BarnwellSchool sites and its co-location with theGreenside School

● the expansion of The Nobel School on itsexisting site with a detached playing fieldbeing provided

● the expansion of Marriotts School and its co-location with Lonsdale School on theexisting Marriotts site, expanded to includethe adjacent Ridgemond Park

● the relocation of Valley School to the currentBarnwell site

● the closure of Heathcote School in 2012

This exhibition is specifically concerned with theproposals for Thomas Alleyne School / GreatAshby site.

Thomas Alleyne students present ideas for their new school.

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The existing Thomas Alleyne School

The existing Thomas Alleyne School is

located in Stevenage Old Town, immediately

to the east of the historic high street.

The school currently has some 776 pupils on roll(5.5 FE) but it will be expanded to cater for 1600pupils (8 FE) when it is relocated to Great Ashby.

Whilst the Great Ashby development is notserved by an existing secondary school, there isan over supply of secondary school capacity inthe Old Town area, with The Thomas AlleyneSchool and The Barclay School being located on adjacent sites.

The Thomas Alleyne School was chosen for

relocation to Great Ashby rather than The

Barclay School because

● The Thomas Alleyne School site is cut intothree parts by The Avenue and Martin’s Way,making expansion of the school difficult.

● The site has a constrained vehicular accessfrom the High Street and there is no realisticpotential to improve this access.

● The site contains a number of listed buildings and scheduled ancient monumentsthat would limit the scope of any redevelopment scheme.

● The Barclay School in contrast has a largermain site area and has greater potential foraccess improvements.

The future of the existing school site will bedetermined in consultation with the BoroughCouncil. All the historic buildings on the sitewill be retained.

Existing school location.

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The Great Ashby relocation site

The proposed new site at

Great Ashby for the expanded

Thomas Alleyne School is located

immediately to the north of New

Spring Wood and to the east of

Tilekiln Wood.

The planning application site alsoincludes New Spring Wood itself plusopen land under the electricity cableson either side of Mendip Way.

The site is currently within a number ofdifferent ownerships and the CountyCouncil is negotiating to purchase thesite from the existing owners. If the sitecannot be purchased by negotiation, theCounty Council will use its compulsorypurchase powers.

The site was chosen as the schoolrelocation site after a carefulconsideration of a number ofalternatives both within and outside theexisting urban area.

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Green Belt considerations

The majority of the site is currently

in the Green Belt, as defined in

the North Hertfordshire District

Local Plan.

However, a major review of Green Beltboundaries in this area is underway inthe light of the requirement in theRegional Plan for the East of Englandfor a minimum of 9,600 new dwellings tobe built on the northern and western fringes of Stevenage by 2021.

The Stevenage and North HertfordshireCouncils are currently preparing anAction Plan to determine the new GreenBelt boundary and it is anticipated thatthe proposed school site will fall withinthe area to be excluded from the Green Belt.

The County Council accepts that it willstill need to demonstrate ‘very specialcircumstances’ for planning permission to be granted.

Given the ‘greenfield’ nature of the site,the County Council has also carried outan Environmental Impact Assessment ofthe school development proposals andthis has been submitted with the planning application.

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Development proposals

AWPMUGA

SERVICE AREA

MAIN ENTRANCE

EMERGENCY ACCESS

TRIM TRAIL

PROPOSED ATTENUATION BASIN - 3,500sqm

RELOCATED PLAYGROUND

MUGA

DISABLED PARKING

MINIBUS PARKING

PLANTING TO SCREEN VIEWSFROM TILE KILN FARM

PLANTING TO SCREEN VIEWSOF SCHOOL

EXISTING HEDGEROW AND TREESTO BE RETAINED

DRAINAGE SWALE

DRAINAGE SWALE

POSSIBLE FUTUREPARKING LOCATION

NEW SPRING WOOD

NINE ACRE WOOD

LONGDELL WOOD

TILEKILN WOOD

WESTON ROAD

TILEKILN FARM

DELL SPRING

POSSIBLE MAINTENANCE/EMERGENCY ACCESS (IF REQUIRED)

AREA THAT MAY FLOOD IN AN EXTREME EVENT

The plan shows the planning application

proposals for an expanded Thomas

Alleyne school on the Great Ashby

application site.

Key features of the proposals are as follows

● The new school building complex, car park and playing fields will be located tothe immediate north of New Spring Wood.

● The school’s external facilities will include a floodlit all-weather pitch and a floodlitmulti-use games area as well as traditionalgrass pitches.

● Vehicular access to the school will be from anew roundabout that will be constructed onMendip Way.

● The school access road will run eastwardsfrom this roundabout, through the land thatcurrently contains a children’s play area andtrim trail, and then swing northwards through New Spring Wood.

● A replacement children’s play area and trimtrail will be provided on the unused land to thewest of Mendip Way.

The replacement children’s play area and trimtrail will be provided at the outset of thedevelopment, prior to the removal of theexisting facilities.

A Construction Management Plan will beoperated in order to minimise the impact ofconstruction traffic and activity on thesurrounding residential area.

The new school proposals.

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Key features of the new school buildings

The County Council is in the process of

choosing a development partner to

implement the BSF proposals for

Stevenage and the chosen partner will

undertake the detailed design of the new

school buildings.

The current outline planning application will

set a number of development parameters for

the design:

● The new school buildings will be two storeysin height and will utilise sustainableconstruction techniques.

● The design will create a truly integrated andinclusive school, enhancing learningopportunities for everyone.

● The school and its facilities will be fully accessible for adults and pupils with disabilities.

● The school will be designed to take advantageof natural daylight and ventilation and willincorporate the highest standards of design inorder to create a sustainable environment.

● The buildings and landscaping will becarefully considered together to ensure thatthe buildings sit comfortably within thesurrounding landscape context.

● The whole school will be an ICT richenvironment, optimising technologies, allowingfor the multi-use of space and provideopportunities for external learning.

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New school access from Mendip Way

The new school will mainly serve pupils

living in the Great Ashby and north-east

Stevenage area, including the new

housing areas that are likely to be built at

Great Ashby over the period to 2021

and beyond.

The potential therefore exists to maximise thenumber of pupils who will walk, cycle or catchthe bus to school. The school developmentproposals have been designed with this in mindand the school will operate a School Travel Planaimed at minimising the number of pupils whotravel to school by car.

Nevertheless, it is accepted that the school willstill be a significant generator of traffic and theaccess proposals illustrated on the drawing(involving all access coming from Mendip Way)have evolved following detailed discussions withthe Local Highway Authority. Although the sitehas a frontage onto Weston Road in the north,the discussions with the highway authority

established at an early stage that the main school access would not be acceptable off this road.

Initially, the school will be provided within 150car parking spaces with the main school site.The car park under the pylons (adjacent to theschool access road) will only be provided ifmonitoring indicates a need for further carparking provision.

Site access proposals.

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BOARD

Changes to the public footpath network

A number of existing public

footpaths run through the

proposed school site, as shown on

the plan.

In the interests of the health andsecurity of the children attending thenew school, it is proposed to divertthese footpaths so that they run aroundthe edge of the school site, beyond theschool boundary fence.

In mitigation, it is proposed to create anumber of new public footpath links inorder to improve the overall footpathnetwork.

In parallel with the outline planningapplication, a separate application for aFootpath Diversion Order will besubmitted to the Government Office inthe next few weeks.

The application for the FootpathDiversion Order will be widelyadvertised in the local area and therewill be a separate opportunity to makerepresentations on the application.

Proposed changes to the footpath network.

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BOARDBOARD

Community use of the new facilities

As an extended school, the new Thomas

Alleyne School will be able to offer a wide

range of facilities for out-of-school hours

use by local families and the wider

community including

● The school hall.

● The school library.

● The school’s ICT facilities.

● A four-badminton court sized sports hall.

● A floodlit all-weather pitch.

● Floodlit multi-use games courts.

● High quality grass playing pitches.

Strong links will also be formed with localprimary schools with the opportunity providedfor them to use the new school facilities.

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The next steps

The outline planning application will be

determined by the County Council’s

Development Control Committee later

this year.

The questionnaires filled in at this exhibition will be analysed and summarised for the elected members who sit on the DevelopmentControl Committee.

If you wish to write with your views, you should

address your comments to:

County Development Unit

Environment Department

Hertfordshire County Council

County Hall

Pegs Lane

Hertford

SG13 8DE

If the Development Control Committee is mindedto approve the planning application, then it mustfirst refer the application to the GovernmentOffice for the East of England.

The Government Office may decide to ‘call in’ theapplication, in which case there will be a publicinquiry. If not, the application will be passed backto the County Council for approval.

At the present time, the BSF proposals forStevenage envisage the construction of the newschool at Great Ashby commencing in 2013, withthe school opening in 2015.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 16

APPENDIX 5

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About this exhibition This exhibition sets out Hertfordshire County Council’s proposals for the relocation and expansion of The Thomas Alleyne School, from its existing site in Stevenage Old Town to a new site in Great Ashby. The proposals are the subject of an outline planning application that has recently been submitted to the Local Planning Authority. Building Schools for the Future Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the Government sponsored programme aimed at transforming secondary school education by funding the rationalisation and improvement of school premises in England. Over £200 million will be used to remodel, rebuild and refurbish Stevenage’s secondary schools. Investment in secondary schools elsewhere in the county will follow in a number of separate phases. More information on the plans for Hertfordshire is available on our website at www.hertsdirect.org/bsf. As a result of recent and planned housing growth in Stevenage, the County Council has estimated a need for secondary school capacity in the town to accommodate 48 forms of entry (FE) by 2017. One FE comprises 30 students per year group. Currently the schools can accommodate 43.6 FE. The Thomas Alleyne School currently has 776 pupils on roll (5.5 FE) but it will be expanded to cater for 1600 pupils (8 FE) when it is relocated to Great Ashby. Whilst the Great Ashby development is not served by an existing secondary school, there is an over supply of secondary school capacity in the Old Town area, with The Thomas Alleyne School and The Barclay School being located on adjacent sites. The Thomas Alleyne School was chosen for relocation to Great Ashby rather than The Barclay School because: • The Thomas Alleyne School site is cut into three parts by The Avenue and Martin’s Way,

making expansion of the school difficult. • The site has a constrained vehicular access from the High Street and there is no realistic

potential to improve this access. • The site contains a number of listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments that would

limit the scope of any redevelopment scheme. • The Barclay School in contrast has a larger main site area and has greater potential for access

improvements. Key features of the building proposals The proposed new site at Great Ashby for the expanded Thomas Alleyne School is located immediately to the north of New Spring Wood and to the east of Tilekiln Wood. The planning application site also includes New Spring Wood itself plus open land under the electricity cables on either side of Mendip Way. The site is currently within a number of different ownerships and the County Council is negotiating to purchase the site from the existing owners. If the site cannot be purchased by negotiation, the County Council will use its compulsory purchase powers. The site was chosen as the school relocation site after a careful consideration of a number of alternatives both within and outside the existing urban area. • The new school building complex, car park and playing fields will be located to the immediate

north of New Spring Wood. • The school’s external facilities will include a floodlit all-weather pitch and a floodlit multi-use

games area as well as traditional grass pitches.

BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE EXHIBITION

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• Vehicular access to the school will be from a new roundabout that will be constructed on Mendip Way.

• The school access road will run eastwards from this roundabout, through the land that currently contains a children’s play area and trim trail, and then swing northwards through New Spring Wood.

• A replacement children’s play area and trim trail will be provided on the unused land to the west of Mendip Way.

A Construction Management Plan will be operated in order to minimise the impact of construction traffic and activity on the surrounding residential area. The Green Belt The majority of the site is currently in the Green Belt, as defined in the North Hertfordshire District Local Plan. However, a major review of Green Belt boundaries in this area is underway in the light of the requirement in the Regional Plan for the East of England for a minimum of 9,600 new dwellings to be built on the northern and western fringes of Stevenage by 2021. The Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Councils are currently preparing an Action Plan to determine the new Green Belt boundary and it is anticipated that the proposed school site will fall within the area to be excluded from the Green Belt. Notwithstanding, the County Council accepts that it will still need to demonstrate ‘very special circumstances’ for planning permission to be granted. Given the ‘greenfield’ nature of the site, the County Council has also carried out an Environmental Impact Assessment of the school development proposals and this has been submitted with the planning application. Community provision As an extended school, the new Thomas Alleyne School will be able to offer a wide range of facilities for out-of-school hours use by local families and the wider community including:

• The school hall. • The school library. • The school’s ICT facilities. • A four-badminton court sized sports hall. • A floodlit all-weather pitch. • Floodlit multi-use games courts. • High quality grass playing pitches.

The outline planning application will be determined by the County Council’s Development Control Committee later this year. The questionnaires filled in at this exhibition will be analysed and summarised for the elected members who sit on the Development Control Committee. If you wish to write with your views, you should address your comments to: County Development Unit Environment Department Hertfordshire County Council County Hall Pegs Lane Hertford SG13 8DE

If the Development Control Committee is minded to approve the planning application, then it must first refer the application to the Government Office for the East of England. The Government Office may decide to ‘call in’ the application, in which case there will be a public inquiry. If not, the application will be passed back to the County Council for approval. At the present time, the BSF proposals for Stevenage envisage the construction of the new school at Great Ashby commencing in 2013, with the school opening in 2015.

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 17

APPENDIX 6

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Building Schools for the Future EXHIBITION QUESTIONNAIRE The Thomas Alleyne School together with Hertfordshire County Council are holding a public exhibition to explain the Building Schools for the Future proposals for the relocation and expansion of The Thomas Alleyne School, from its existing site in Stevenage Old Town to a new site in Great Ashby. This exhibition forms part of the consultation process for the proposed development. We encourage you to comment on all the key issues that have been outlined. These views will be reported back to Hertfordshire County Council as part of the outline planning application. We would be grateful if you could fill in the following form and post it in our feedback box as you leave today. Please circle as appropriate: Q1. On a scale of 1 to 5 please rate how useful you have found this exhibition (1 being very useful)

1 2 3 4 5 Q2. Do you agree that the relocation and expansion of The Thomas Alleyne School, from its existing site in Stevenage Old Town to a new site in Great Ashby is an appropriate way to provide some of the additional secondary school capacity in the town?

Agree Disagree Not Sure Q3. Do you agree that the site chosen at Great Ashby is the best available site for the relocated and expanded school? If not, where do you think that the school should be located? Agree Disagree Not Sure ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Thank you for completing the questionnaire. If you have any further comments on the proposals for The Thomas Alleyne School please write them below. We would appreciate it if you could fill in your details below. This will aid us in putting together the exhibition feedback. Name: …..………………………..….……………………………………………………. Address & postcode: ……………..……………………...……………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 18

APPENDIX 7

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Great Ashby Exhibition Analysis of Comments

Total number of responses – 111 Question 1 106 responses to this question – average rating was 2.89 Question 2 109 responses to this question 55 agree 50 disagree 4 not sure Question 3 110 responses to this question 59 disagree 34 agree 17 not sure Comments regarding proposals Congestion 32 Loss of woodland / Green Belt 23 Poor access / need for more than 1 access/egress 13 On-street car parking 10 Loss / relocation of current playground 9 Underpass required / zebra crossing 4 Insufficient public transport 4 Supports proposals 3 Noise pollution 3 2015 completion too late 3 Lack of cyclepaths / footpaths 2 Access road needs gating off to prevent use as racetrack 2 Increase in anti-social behaviour 2 Insufficient on site car parking 2 No information on alternative sites 1 Health risks posed by pylons 1 Objects to lack of detailed plans 1 Pylon route good use of unusable land 1 Light pollution 1

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Impact of construction on residents 1 Comments relating to exhibition Information boards too close together / too small for number of attendees 3 Lack of previous public consultation 2 Lack of consultation with local groups 2 Another public meeting needed 2 Insufficient professionals to discuss proposals at exhibition 1 Insufficient notice of exhibition 1 Exhibition should be held for more than one evening 1 Alternative site suggestions Dixons 13 Anywhere but Great Ashby 3 School should be split in 2 with the second to the south of Stevenage 2 Pin Green 2 Fairlands Way 2 Industrial estate 2 Gunnelswood Road 1 Next to Valley School 1 Chells Manor 1 Site between Gravely and Weston (NES3) 1 Existing TAS site 1 Smaller school only to serve Great Ashby 1 Other side of Haybuff Drive 1 Away from residential areas 1 Locate away from pylons 1 Locate further to the west 1 Shephall 1 Further to the north 1 Miscellaneous Compensation given to residents by developers of existing TAS site 2 Agrees school needs to relocated from Old Town site 1 School should be within Stevenage boundary 1 Concern about impact on listed when developing existing site 1 What other benefits will be offered to the community? 1 Need for school considering ageing population 1

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PUBLIC CONSULTATION REPORT

RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 19

APPENDIX 8

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Hertfordshire County Council

September 2009 Issue 7September 2009 Issue 7

inin thisthis issueissue

> The Thomas Alleyne School

> Site at Great Ashby

> Greenbelt considerations

BSF is short for…Building Schools for the Futureis a Government investment insecondary school estates totransform the learningexperience of children.Funding will be rolled out acrossHertfordshire over the next 10– 15 years starting in Stevenage.The money will be used torenew, refurbish or rebuild thecounty’s secondary schools. www.hertsdirect.org/bsf

In this issue we tell you about the exciting proposals to expand andrelocate The Thomas Alleyne School from Stevenage Old Town, to anew site at Great Ashby.

The application for outline planning permission to develop the newsite has now been submitted and has been registered and consultationsare in the process of taking place. We tell you on the back page howyou can give your views on the proposals.

At our recent public exhibition of the proposals contained in theplanning application, the majority of those who attended supported theplan for a local secondary school to serve local people. The extensivefacilities included in the scheme will give the whole community theopportunity to use the school for sport, leisure and learning.

There are of course those who are concerned about Hertfordshire’sGreen Belt and there is more on this inside.

To find out more about Hertfordshire’s plans for Stevenage secondaryschools please visit our website at www.hertsdirect.org/bsf.

EXHIBITIONOF THE SCHEME PROPOSALSA second public exhibition will be held on 22 September 2009in the Small Hall at the Great Ashby Community Centre,Whitehorse Lane, Great Ashby Way, Stevenage, SG1 6NH.

Time:6pm to 7.30pm - followed by an opportunity to ask questions.

WELCOMEto the autumn newsletter

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The location of the proposednew site at Great AshbyThe site was chosen as the school relocation site after careful considerationof a number of alternatives both within andoutside the existing urban area, as set outin the Supporting Planning Statement thataccompanied the planning application.

“This is a truly momentous time in education in Stevenageand in particular for our school,with the opportunity for the historic Thomas Alleyne Schoolto be rebuilt on a new site. The development of a newschool will be the key impetusto maintain and further stimulateour improvement.” (from theThomas Alleyne School Strategyfor Change document)

In 2007, Hertfordshire CountyCouncil held a public consultationon the Building Schools for theFuture proposals for Stevenagesecondary schools. The councilagreed that the existing ThomasAlleyne School will be expandedto cater for 1600 pupils and be

relocated to an identified newsite at Great Ashby.

The Great Ashby development is not served by an existing secondary school, but it has afull and popular primary schooland a large number of the pupilswho attend Thomas AlleyneSchool live in Great Ashby. It wasdecided to relocate The ThomasAlleyne School to Great Ashby,rather than the adjoining BarclaySchool, because its existing siteis unsuitable for expansion -traffic and access problems, difficulties expanding a split site,listed buildings and scheduledancient monuments would allseverely restrict and limit anyredevelopment scheme.

It is intended that the site of The Barclay School will be ableto expand, making use of someof the Thomas Alleyne School playing fields. The future of thepart of the Thomas AlleyneSchool site that would no longerbe needed for education use willbe determined in consultationwith the Borough Council andproposals, including new usesfor the historic buildings on thesite, will be the subject of aplanning brief and a future planning application. They willalso be the subject of proposalscontained in the BoroughCouncil’s Local DevelopmentFramework processes.

THE EXISTING THOMAS ALLEYNE SCHOOL

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The review of the Green Belt maytake several years to complete.With a more urgent need for theschool, the County Council needsnow to demonstrate that there are ‘very special circumstances’ in order to justify the granting ofplanning permission for the newschool site. That justification is set out in the Supporting Planning Statement. In addition,an Environmental ImpactAssessment has been carried out to assess the impact of theproposals on the environment, and an Environmental Statement,which records the findings of theassessment, has been submittedwith the planning application.

KEY FEATURES OF THE PROPOSALS

• The new school building complex, car park and playing fields will be located to the immediate north of New Spring Wood.

• The school’s external facilities will include a floodlit all-weather pitch and a floodlit multi-use games area as well as traditionalgrass playing pitches.

• Vehicles will access the school from a new roundabout on Mendip Way.

• The school access road will run eastwards from this roundabout, through the land that currently contains a children’s play area and a trim trail, and will then

swing northwards through New Spring Wood.

• A replacement children’s play area and trim trail will be provided on the unused land to the west of Mendip Way, which will become a new open space, before the existing facilities are removed.

• A Construction Management Plan will be operated in order to minimise the impact of construction traffic and activity on the surrounding residential area and on the environment.

KEY FEATURES OF THE NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS

• The new school buildings will be two storeys high and will make use of sustainable construction techniques.

• The design will create a truly integrated and inclusive school, enhancing learning opportunities for everyone.

• The school and its facilities will be fully accessible for adults and pupils with disabilities.

• The buildings and landscaping will be carefully considered together to ensure that the buildings sit comfortably within the surrounding landscape.

• The whole school will be an ICT rich environment, optimising technologies, allowing for the multi-use of space and provide opportunities for external learning.

AWPMUGA

SERVICE AREA

M

EMERGENCY ACCESS

T

PROPOSED ATTENUATION BASIN - 3,500sqm

R

MUGA

D

MINIBUS PARKING

PLANTING TO SCREEN VIEWSFROM TILE KILN FARM

PLANTING TO SCREEN VIEWSOF SCHOOL

EXISTING HEDGEROW AND TREESTO BE RETAINED

D

LONGDELL WOOD

TILEKILN WOOD

WESTON ROAD

TILEKILN FARM

DELL SPRING

POSSIBLE MAINTENANCE/EMERGENCY ACCESS (IF REQUIRED)

AREA THAT MAY FLOOD IN AN EXTREME EVENT

GREENBELT CONSIDERATIONS

New school access fromMendip Way and changesto footpaths

The school development proposals have been designedto maximise the number of pupilswho will walk, cycle or catch abus to school. The school willoperate a School Travel Planaimed at minimising the numberof pupils who travel to school bycar. Nevertheless, it is acceptedthat the school will generatemore traffic in the vicinity of thesite, although there will be areduction in the Old Town.

A number of existing publicfootpaths run through the proposed school. It is proposedto divert these footpaths so thatthey run around the edge of theschool site, beyond the schoolboundary fence. It is alsoplanned to create a number of new public footpath links in order to improve the overallfootpath network.

The plans for new access proposals and footpath networks can be seen on theexhibition boards available onwww.hertsdirect.org/bsf.

The majority of the site is currently in the Green Belt, as defined in the North Hertfordshire District Local Plan.However, a major review of Green Beltboundaries in this area is underway in thelight of the plans to build nearly 10,000 newhomes on the northern and western fringesof Stevenage by 2021. The Stevenage andNorth Hertfordshire Councils are currently preparing an Area Action Plan to determine the new Green Belt boundary and it is possible that the proposed school site will fall within the area to be excludedfrom the Green Belt.

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Design im

ages courtesy of the DCSF

Design ref: 054681

EXHIBITIONOF THE SCHEME PROPOSALSA first exhibition was held at Round Diamond School on 9 Julyin the evening.

A repeat of this exhibition is being arranged for 22 Septemberin the Small Hall at the Great Ashby Community Centre,Whitehorse Lane, Great Ashby Way, Stevenage, SG1 6NH.

Time: 6pm to 7.30pm.

The views of those who attend the exhibitions and complete theprovided comments form will be contained in a report preparedas part of the planning application that will be provided to thePlanning Authority to assist it in considering the proposals.

After the exhibition on 22 September at 7.30pm in the LargeHall at the Great Ashby Community Centre there will be theopportunity for people attending the exhibition to ask any further questions, on the planning application scheme or thewider proposals for the relocation of Thomas Alleyne School, to a panel of county council officers and consultants.

PROCESS FORDETERMININGTHE PLANNINGAPPLICATIONHertfordshire Property is requiredto make the planning application tothe county council’s EnvironmentDepartment. They will carry outthe usual actions of the LocalPlanning Authority, includingconsultation with local residentsand public authorities andadvertising the application in thepress and on site.

It is expected that the planningapplication will be reported toand considered by the countycouncil’s Development ControlCommittee later this year, perhaps to the October meetingof that Committee. If you wish to write with your views to thePlanning Authority please write to the address below by 23 September 2009:

County Development UnitEnvironment DepartmentHertfordshire County CouncilCounty Hall, Pegs LaneHertford, SG13 8DE

Or email [email protected]

At the present time, the BuildingSchools for the Future plans for Stevenage envisage that construction of the new schoolpremises at Great Ashby willcommence in 2013, with theschool moving to the new premises in 2015.

COMMUNITY USE OF THE NEW FACILITIESAs an extended school, the new Thomas AlleyneSchool will be able to offer a wide range of facilitiesfor out-of-school hours for use by local families andthe wider community, including:

• The school hall and library.• State-of-the-art ICT facilities.• A four-badminton court sized sports hall.• A floodlit all-weather pitch and multi-use games courts.• High quality grass playing pitches.• Rooms and spaces available for hire and community use.

Local primary schools will also have the opportunity to use thenew school facilities and to work closely with Thomas AlleyneSchool to ease children’s transition from primary to secondarystages of their education.

FURTHER INFORMATIONplease email [email protected] visit: www.hertsdirect.org/bsfPlease email any feedback or contributions [email protected]

For further information onBuilding Schools for the Future please visit: www.hertsdirect.org/bsf

Final 054681 BSF Newsletter Summer 2009:Layout 1 19/08/2009 15:04 Page 1

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APPENDIX 9

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APPENDIX 10

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APPENDIX 11

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Great Ashby Exhibition Analysis of Comments

Total number of responses – 66 (plus six duplicates) Question 1 63 responses to this question – average rating was 3.11 Question 2 64 responses to this question 22 agree 40 disagree 2 not sure Question 3 63 responses to this question 44 disagree 15 agree 4 not sure Comments Access / traffic Increase in traffic 7 Access road not suitable 2 Access should be off Weston Road 2 On-street parking problems 2 Objects to location of access 2 Single access point is insufficient 1 Access footpath at Grampian Way is on private land and should be blocked off 1 Access should be from new roundabout to accommodate future housing 1 Grampian Place will be used as a short cut 1 Cycleways/pedestrian access should not be via Great Ashby Way 1 Access should be via Calder Way 1 Access should be moved further south onto current Great Ashby Park 1

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Alternative sites Existing TAS should be refurbished 9 New school should be built on St Nicholas Park 7 Smaller school should be built elsewhere 4 Locate anywhere but Great Ashby 3 Smaller school should be built to the west of Stevenage 2 Dixons site should be reused 2 New school should be built within the town centre and pupils transferred by coach 2 New site should be found with easy access to train station 1 New site should be in Pin Green 1 School should be built on industrial area which has been proposed for housing 1 Knebworth better location 1 Chells Manor better location 1 Environmental Loss of Green Belt 4 Objects to increase in noise 3 Objects to flood lighting 1 Objects to loss of wildlife and trees 1 Miscellaneous Fully supports proposals 8 Why were other sites rejected? 4 Proposals should wait until conclusion of SNAP 2 Objects to imposition of school against wishes of residents 1 Alternatives have not been fully considered 1 Exhibition did not deal with matter of damage to the area 1 Not clear on whether there will be fencing around school at Mendip Way 1 Not clear where illuminated signage will be located 1 Plenty of alternative sites could have been chosen 1 What are the special circumstances to allow this development? Greater protection given to parks than Green Belt

1

Objects to proximity of school to residents home 1

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APPENDIX 12

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RP/4682/OCTOBER 2009 PAGE NO. 24

APPENDIX 13

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STERLING COURT NORTON ROAD STEVENAGE HERTS SG1 2JY T: 01438 316331 F: 01438 722035 E-mail: [email protected] VINCENT AND GORBING LTD CHARTERED ARCHITECTS AND TOWN PLANNERS REGISTERED IN ENGLAND AT NORTON ROAD STEVENAGE REG. NO 1942616

PROPOSED RELOCATION OF THE THOMAS ALLEYNE SCHOOL TO LAND AT GREAT ASHBY HOME ADDRESSES OF EXHIBITION ATTENDEES (WHERE STATED) STREET FIRST

EXHIBITION SECOND EXHIBITION

TOTAL

Grampian Place 9 12 21 Cleveland Way 4 6 10 Mendip Way 7 2 9 The Chilterns 5 4 9 Cromdale Walk 4 4 8 Benbroke Place 5 2 7 Fairfield Crescent 7 0 7 Merrick Close 4 2 6 Snowdonia Way 3 2 5 The Beacons 4 1 5 Weston 2 2 4 Whernside Drive 2 2 4 Ryders Hill 3 0 3 Tilekiln Farm 2 1 3 Weston Park 1 2 3 Canterbury Way 1 1 2 Great Ashby Way 1 1 2 Knebworth 2 0 2 Lomond Way 0 2 2 Nevis Road 1 1 2 Russell Close 1 1 2 Whitehorse Lane 0 2 2 Ashwell 1 0 1 Baldock 1 0 1 Burghley Close 1 0 1 Cheviot Way 1 0 1 Dove Road 1 0 1 Essex Road 1 0 1 Finbracks 1 0 1 Grasmere 0 1 1 Great Gables 0 1 1 Haycock Road 1 0 1 Hertford 1 0 1

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STERLING COURT NORTON ROAD STEVENAGE HERTS SG1 2JY T: 01438 316331 F: 01438 722035 E-mail: [email protected] VINCENT AND GORBING LTD CHARTERED ARCHITECTS AND TOWN PLANNERS REGISTERED IN ENGLAND AT NORTON ROAD STEVENAGE REG. NO 1942616

STREET FIRST EXHIBITION

SECOND EXHIBITION

TOTAL

Humber Court 1 0 1 Jennings Close 1 0 1 Kilby Road 0 1 1 King George Close 1 0 1 Manchester Close 1 0 1 Mount Keen 1 0 1 Scott Road 1 0 1 Serpentine Close 1 0 1 Severn Way 0 1 1 Tees Close 0 1 1 Telford Avenue 1 0 1 Windrush Close 0 1 1 Total 85 56 141