Greenwich planners recommend blocking new school
Plans to build a new school in Lee before Greenwich Council’s Planning Board could be rejected after council planners recommended rejection.
They state there is not an obvious need for a new school on the site in Lee. They also state “an inappropriate development on Metropolitan Open Land and is by definition harmful to the Metropolitan Open Land” and the school would overlook “neighbouring properties on Ravens Mews (nos. 1-4), would have an adverse impact on the amenities of the occupiers resulting in an increased sense of enclosure and loss of daylight to habitable room windows at ground floor level.”
School plans would see places for 720 pupils and include:
- 21 x General Classrooms
6 x General Science Lab
3 x ICT/Business Studies
2 x General Art
1 x Music and Drama
3 x Design and Technology
Learning Resource Areas
Main Hall
Sports Hall
The site is relatively close to Kidbrooke Village; less than a mile to the west.
Plans have just been revealed to increase the number of homes included in Kidbrooke Village’s latest phase to 1,300, bringing overall homes up to 5,300.
If that increase is approved, and TfL win an appeal to build on the other side of Kidbrooke station, then “Lack of Need for Secondary School” becomes less of a factor.
Greenwich Council rejected TfL’s plans for new homes to the north of Kidbrooke station last week but an appeal would appear likely to win. Firstly, it’s a TfL plan with a higher than average number of “affordable” homes. Mayor Sadiq Khan is therefore likely to be in favour.
Second, Greenwich Council have already previously approved Berkeley Homes’ plan to increase density to the south of the station. That was before the latest attempt to increase density on a subsequent phase.
Contravening or altering an original masterplan is pretty common in the borough.
The proposed school is also close to Leegate which has redevelopment plans.
Of course, no need for a new school is just one reason and others remain such as impacts on neighbouring homes. It’ll be interesting to see which way the Planning Board lean next week and then what would happen with may appeal if that occurs.
The issue is planning guidance have been overridden so many times that precedents are now set. One to keep an eye on.
