Site address:       St Edward's School, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 7NN       

Proposal:            Erection of 2.5 storey boarding house with House Masters House, tutor flat and assistant House Masters Flat and associated facilities to accommodate 70 students (aged 13-18) in 55 bedrooms over three floors (Amended Plans).               

Recommendation:

The West Area Planning Committee is recommended to:

a)    approve the application and grant planning permission for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of this report and subject to confirmation being received from Natural England that their objection is withdrawn.

b)    agree to delegate authority to the Acting Head of Planning Services to:

                 i.          finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Acting Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary.

The Committee considered an application (18/01687/FUL) for planning permission for the erection of 2.5 storey boarding house with House Master’s House, tutor flat and assistant House Master’s Flat and associated facilities to accommodate 70 students (aged 13-18) in 55 bedrooms over three floors (Amended Plans).         

The Planning Officer presented the report and made the following points of clarification:

The objection from Natural England related very specifically to the drainage impact of the proposed development on SSSIs to the west of the application site.  Officers consider that these matters were largely addressed with the submission of additional information and further correspondence following the publication of the committee report; and are confident that these issues are likely to be resolved.   On that basis the recommendation before the Committee was to approve the application subject to confirmation of the withdrawal of Natural England’s objection.

Although the report refers to students the proposals are for a boarding house and not student accommodation. The occupiers of the building would be pupils aged 13-18 plus the staff.  Officers recommend that a condition is added specifying that the student occupiers should be aged 13-18 and attend the school to ensure that the use of the building is not changed in the future and remains tied to the school.

Paragraph 10.22: that the scheme was substantially changed following the ODRP workshop and that those changes included alterations to the landscaping and materials which addressed the concerns of the ODRP as set out in the letter at Appendix 2.

Nick Hardy (agent) was present to answer questions from the Committee.

The Committee noted that discussions had taken place as part of the pre-application process regarding a community use agreement between the school and Sports England.  This agreement to give local community and sports clubs access to the facilities would be secured by condition which would be approved by planning officers, in consultation with colleagues from the Council’s leisure services.

The Committee also noted the officer’s advice, as set out in paragraphs 10.18 – 10.21, that the proposed development would merge with the existing built form and would not introduce new or changed views, including from Port Meadow.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered all the information put before it.

On being put to the vote the Committee agreed with the officer recommendation.

The West Area Planning Committee resolved to:

a)    approve the application and grant planning permission for the reasons given in the report and subject to:

                 i.          the 22 required planning conditions set out in section 12 of the report;

                ii.          an additional condition specifying that the student occupiers would be aged 13-18 and attend the school to ensure that the use of the building is not changed in the future and remains tied to the school; and

              iii.          confirmation being received from Natural England that their objection is withdrawn.

b)    delegate authority to the Acting Head of Planning Services to:

                 i.          finalise the recommended conditions as set out in the report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Acting Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary.