Wokingham borough council’s planning committee is set to give conditional approval for a single-storey Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) resource base, with associated landscaping, within the grounds of St Paul’s Church of England Junior School on Oxford Road in Wokingham.
Wednesday’s meeting (tonight) will consider the plans, especially as the proposed development conflicts with the Local Plan policies that seek to protect existing playing field land.
Sport England had objected to the proposal on the basis of the loss of a part of the playing field.
Notes for the meeting said: “Notwithstanding this, the application would deliver specialist SEND educational accommodation to meet an identified local need, within an established school site and in a sustainable location.
“The development has been carefully assessed in terms of its impact on the character of the area, neighbouring amenity, highway safety, flood risk and drainage, ecology, biodiversity net gain and other technical matters.
“With the exception of Sports England, statutory and internal consultees raise no objection, subject to conditions, in respect of highways, drainage, ecology, biodiversity and landscape impacts.
“The proposal is capable of delivering mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain, and appropriate measures can be secured through conditions.
“On balance, the educational and community benefits of the proposal, together with the absence of unacceptable harm that could not be appropriately mitigated, are considered to outweigh the identified policy conflict and the Sport England objection.
“Members are advised that, due to the maintained objection from Sport England, the resolution to grant planning permission requires referral of the application to the secretary of state via the National Planning Casework Unit .. prior to the issue of any decision notice.”
The proposed building would have a simple rectangular form and would measure approximately 27.5m x 12m.
The unit would have a flat roof with elevations comprising predominantly metal green cladding, an external dark grey canopy is also proposed.
The building would be located to the west of the school, within an area currently used as playing fields, and would be well screened from the public realm by the school building itself.
“It is considered that the proposed scale, architectural design and materials would remain in keeping with the educational campus character of the area.”
