Agenda item

The meeting was informed that subsequent to the publication of the meeting agenda, some additional public objections were received within the consultative timeframe in respect of how the Local Plan differs from proposed use and the site selection criteria and LocatED sites report. These were tabled for Members’ consideration and the Council’s proposed responses and mitigations noted.

Members’ acknowledged proposals for the development of the site for a school will be subject to an application for planning permission which will be subject to public consultation and will be determined following consideration by the Planning Regulatory Board.

RESOLVED:-

(i)        that approval be given for the free school as the preferred use for the Keresforth Close site and the site be transferred to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (DHCLG), subject to the necessary planning consents being achieved;

(ii)       that the Corporate Asset Manager works with the Department for Education and Trinity MAT to agree Heads of Terms for a transfer of the land and the delivery of a free school on the site;

(iii)      that the Executive Director Core Services be authorised to complete the above transaction with legal completion being subject to gaining the necessary planning consents, noting the assurance of the Minister through his agents that the planning proposal will include the provision of a publicly accessible area of open space as an integral part of the development of the site;

(iv)      that approval be given for the principles set out in the report and supports the continued collaborative working with public sector partners under the One Public Estate Programme;

(v)       that the Council will continue to work with the other parties who have expressed interest in this site to accommodate them elsewhere on Council owned assets; and

(vi)      that the objections received following the publication of the Notice under Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972, as summarised in the principal report and the tabled report, be noted, but are not considered to outweigh the case for the disposal of the open space as set out in the reports..