Agenda item

This report updates the committee on the Arun Secondary School progress with landowner engagement.  It identifies the work streams and costs required to progress the potential site options available for allocation and acquisition, of a sustainable and deliverable site for the accommodation of a 10 Form Entry (with room for 4 form expansion and 6^th form provision) Secondary School to serve the strategic developments within Arun.

[Councillor Elkins re-declared his Personal Interest as a member of West Sussex County Council during discussion of this item]

The Interim Head of Planning Policy was invited by the Chair to present the report. The report provided an update on the progress officers have made with landowner engagement concerning the potential site options for an Arun Secondary School.  He referred to paragraph 4.5 that provided details of each landowner’s response, which was either that the landowner did not want their site to be considered or no response was received.  It did not necessarily mean that the necessary work on potential sites could not progress, as they all met the necessary criteria for a new secondary school.  It was noted that the Council had Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers should it wish to allocate a site or if a planning application was received for a site.  Paragraph 4.9 set out the further detailed investigative work to be commissioned to identify a suitable site.  He referred to the decision made by the Committee at its meeting held on 30 January 2024 not to support Site Option F as a preferred site.  However, officers suggested that members may wish to re-consider and agree to include this site alongside the five sites to be progressed under the further Site Constraints Study.  The results of the feasibility work will be reported to the Committee. If further sites did come forward they would also be considered.  Following the further detailed work to be undertaken by the Council in consultation with West Sussex County Council a final preferred site will be brought to the Committee for consideration.    

The recommendations were then proposed by Councillor Bower and seconded by Councillor Partridge.

The Chair invited the Committee to make comment and ask questions: 

·      The Interim Head of Planning Policy clarified that the location of Site Option F was in Ford.  He reminded members that West Sussex County Council had been in discussions with the landowner of this site but no land deal had been agreed as yet.  

·      A member asked if Academy Trusts had been approached concerning the sponsorship of a new school in Arun.  The Group Head of Planning replied that West Sussex County Council would expect the site identification process to have taken place in the first instance, which was an important stage of the process, before they will discuss proposals with the school providers.

·      Responding to a question regarding the use of a CPO, the Group Head of Planning explained that this process would only be used by the Council to acquire land for a suitable site only if all other avenues had failed.  Before starting the process in the first instance some certainty would be required in the form of a school site allocation or a planning permission coming forward. 

·      A comment was made that it was disappointing to see West Sussex County Council, who were landowners and had the responsibility for delivering secondary schools, were not putting any site proposals forward in Arun.  Given the known insufficient availability of secondary school placements in Arun, could the Council address this in its housing number constraints assessment would this be a viable option to include within the housing number targets to work towards a reduction?  The Group Head of Planning explained that although this constraint was proving difficult it was not insurmountable.  The Council would have to prove that there was no prospect of a scheme coming forward.

·      A member urged for a secondary school to be found in Arun otherwise the Council would be doing a disservice to those pupils who had to travel to schools elsewhere.

·      In response to a comment made regarding the lack of infrastructure being built following strategic development, the Group Head of Planning advised that the details for the provision for a new school were set out in the Council’s Infrastructure Funding Statement.  All strategic allocations made financial contributions towards a new secondary school which would build up until enough funds were received to provide a new secondary school.

·      A further comment was made concerning the impact on pupils if a new secondary school site was not delivered and the need to move the process forward following the delays in finding a suitable site.

The Committee

                       RESOLVED

i.   That the Council will progress a further detailed Site Constraints Study at a cost of circa £30K to include the five sites agreed by Planning Policy Committee of 30 January 2024 (Site 14: Site to the South of Yapton; Site 5: Land South of Yapton Road; Site 4: Land North of Yapton Road and East of Blossom Way; Site 3: Land at Maypole and North End Road and Site 2: Choller Farm, Barnham Lane) plus Site F from the 2019 Study (land adjacent to the Ford Allocation). Additional sites will be added to this list if alternative opportunities emerge before the report is complete.

ii.   That following the further detailed work and consultation with West Sussex County Council, officers are to report back to this Committee at a future meeting, with the final preferred site for the Secondary School, so that formal legal processes can be commenced by a Council.