Why Sport England is objecting to the approval of a new special school near Preston
Approval for a state-of-the-art rebuild of a special school could be delayed over a Sports England objection.
Bosses at Applebee Wood Community Specialist School - formerly Moor Hey School - have submitted a full planning application to demolish and rebuild the site in Far Croft.
The project has been brought forward through the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme, as the school is said to be in “extremely poor physical condition and is coming to the end of its operational lifespan”.
The proposals are to completely demolish the existing single-storey school buildings and for a “comprehensive redevelopment of the site to provide a new school”, to be completed by June 2026. The new school building will be located in the middle of the site, will be a two-storey building with a flat roof.
A decision by South Ribble Borough Council’s committee members will be made on Thursday. A report by officers states that the proposal is “considered compliant” and recommended for approval, but but because of an objection by Sport England, if it is approved, the final say so would then have to be made by the Secretary of State.
What do Sport England say?
Sport England have raised several concerns with the proposal, claiming it does not accord with their Playing Fields Policy. They say:
- It has not been demonstrated how and where Lostock Hall Juniors (who currently use the school playing fields) will play or where school sporting activity will take place during the construction process.
- The applicant has not provided any information detailing the pitch construction and works required to install, manage and maintain the new area of playing field.
- The site plan drawing shows trees and woodland planting to be located around the edges of the playing pitch and claim this “reduces and restricts the usable area of playing field and also has the potential to impact on the quality of the playing surface which is not supported”.
- Sport England claim it has not been demonstrated how other pitch sports and sporting activities such as athletics and rounders that have previously taken place on the existing playing field will now be accommodated on the new playing field.
- Sport England say the existing daily mile track is an unauthorised form of development on playing field land.
Other objections
Eleven other objections from local residents were received, with concerns including the design being “excessively high”, traffic congestion, loss of privacy and noise pollution.
Planning officers
In a report, council officers urge committee members to approve the plans. It states: “On balance, the proposal is considered to be acceptable, and the benefits of the scheme outweigh impacts in relation to the loss of open space and the quality of replacement sports facilities. It is therefore recommended that the application be approved subject to conditions. However, if Members are minded to approve the application, it will need to referred to the Secretary of State for review .”
Pupils and staff
The new school building is proposed to accommodate up to 168 students and 77 staff, which is in line with current existing capacity, and thus the amount of vehicle movements on site would not change. Pupils range from age 4 – 16 years of age and the school offers Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, covering early years and secondary education levels, as well as specialised education for those with ASD and other complex needs.