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The Kenilworth Education Trust wants to ensure that the Local Plan properly accommodates and integrates the future needs of Kenilworth School and Sixth Form through policies and allocations which will allow for the growth and consolidation of the school on one site. Kenilworth School currently operates from two sites; the secondary school being located at Leyes Lane and the Sixth Form at the Rouncil Lane site. Kenilworth School and sixth form has 1,750 pupils on roll, which includes 450 sixth form students on the Rouncil Lane site.
The School will need to accommodate additional students based on forecast growth within the Kenilworth catchment, primarily associated with the new families being accommodated within new housing developments in the area, including those sites identified in the Local Plan. Additionally, because of a higher birth rate, there will be an increased requirement from 2019 to accommodate more students from within the existing Kenilworth primary catchment.
Many of the buildings on the two sites were built in the 1950/60s and the fabric of many of the buildings is approaching the end of its viable use. Furthermore the split between two sites has issues, such as duplication of roles, it detracts from efficient management and operations and increases teaching and running costs. It is therefore unlikely to prove to be practical or viable to continue to provide facilities on both sites whilst growing and developing the School to accommodate a larger numbers of students, whilst also providing a community service out of school hours. The School is therefore seeking to consolidate its buildings and other facilities onto one site.
To date there has been dialogue between Kenilworth Education Trust and Warwick District Council and Warwickshire County Council about the future plans of the School. Furthermore the School has responded to earlier public consultation on the Council's proposed development strategy and site allocations for the new Local Plan.
The decreased funding from government and the increased pressure to provide value for money whilst retaining the current outstanding results means it is an imperative that a viable solution is found which seeks to maximise any returns. This will include ensuring that there is sufficient return from any land that may need to be disposed, if one or potentially two sites are surplus to the School's requirements.
Given these considerations, the only way of ensuring that a new and better school can be provided to serve Kenilworth and the wider catchment area is to identify a viable and deliverable solution for redevelopment on either one of the existing school sites or potentially on a new site. For these reasons the School appointed advisors to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study with the aim of identifying a preferred approach. The Arup study has identified a number of potential options for the new facilities within Kenilworth, including South Crest Farm on Glasshouse Lane which is contained within the Warwick District Council Local Development Plan.
There is still a considerable amount of work to be undertaken in looking at these options, not least in considering the financial viability of each. Throughout this process the aim of the Governors and senior staff is to keep all options open so that any decisions that are taken will be in the best interests of the school and the community.
Until this time the current allocations may not meet the following tests of soundness:
1. Justified: The allocated sites have not been fully demonstrated to be the most appropriate strategy when considered against reasonable alternatives. The alternatives and the evidence are currently being evaluated by advisors and a strategy will emerge from this work. The Kenilworth Education Trust would like to discuss and agree this strategy with the objective that it will inform the allocations of land for Education and Housing Use in the Submission version of the Local Plan.
2. Effective: There is currently insufficient evidence that the sites currently allocated on the existing school sites and on the new proposed site for school (ED2) can be delivered during the plan period. Evidence on deliverability will form part of the advisors' findings from the Feasibility Study.
3. Consistent with National Policy: The current allocations may not be consistent with national policy as set out within the NPPF, in particular paragraph 173. This states "pursuing sustainable development requires careful attention to viability and costs in plan making and decision making. Plans should be deliverable". Also the current allocations may not be consistent with paragraph 177 of the NPPF that reads "It is equally important to ensure that there is a reasonable prospect that planning infrastructure is deliverable in a timely fashion". Again the evidence on whether a site for a new school can be delivered within the plan period on any of the three potential site opportunities will be fully set out within the advisors' Feasibility Study.
The Kenilworth education Trust wants to ensure that the local Plan properly accommodates and integrates the future needs of Kenilworth School and Sixth Form through policies and allocations which will allow for the growth and consolidation of the school on one site. The only way of ensuring that a new and better school can be provided to serve Kenilworth and the wider catchment area is to identify a viable and deliverable solution for redevelopment on either one of the existing school sites or potentially on a new site. A comprehensive feasibility study has been commissioned to identify a preferred approach.