The Scottish Government

Name

Ruth Findlay

Job title

Organisation

South Lanarkshire Council

Address

Montrose House, 154 Montrose Crescent, Hamilton, ML3 6LB

Telephone

01698 455943

Fax

01698 455948

Email

Ruth.findlay@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

1 South Lanarkshire Council - Education Resource

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Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

Title of entry

Holy Cross High School

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

The development of the new Holy Cross High School in Hamilton has been the end product of a comprehensive process undertaken by South Lanarkshire Council's Planning and Building Standards Resource. Planning was involved at the outset of the project when the Public Private Partnership ( PPP) bid was being made. The main implications for land use planning were considered and to ensure all factors were taken into account a coherent approach was agreed. The process Planning undertook to deliver the new Holy Cross High School is one of best practice, demonstrating exemplary efficiency and effectiveness, applying professional knowledge and skills, and demonstrating partnership working with other Resources, from site assessment to obtaining planning consent.

The main issues with the preferred site were worked through by the Planning service to deliver this project and the following view was taken on them:

• Departure from the Hamilton District Local Plan - There was a need to develop a new high school to serve the southern catchment area of South Lanarkshire Council and replace the existing school campus which was determined unsuitable for future educational and curriculum requirements and also unsuitable for upgrading. A modern educational facility and associated community facilities are available for use by the local community outwith school hours. The development also complemented other regeneration projects in the Whitehill area.

• Loss of existing sports and leisure facilities to other users - Overall there has been an improvement in the quality and quantity of pitch provision while accessibility has been unchanged.

• Safeguard public parks from development - extensive areas of open space have remained within the wider park to allow activities to be continued within a park setting. In addition existing features such as play areas and bandstand have been maintained.

• Part of a designed landscape - Planning led consultations with Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Garden History Society regarding this issue. The Development Brief was written to taken into account concerns and therefore by planning applications stage no objections were received from them. The mature setting of the park has been maintained, and the school buildings and associated works have been accommodated within the open space available without encroaching onto valuable areas of trees.

• Traffic Implications - Off-site road improvements improved road safety generally in the area while access to and parking facilities within the park have been enhanced.

South Lanarkshire Council ( SLC) has undertaken a range of investments and initiatives designed to raise educational achievement, counter social and economic disadvantage and promote lifelong learning. The Council had little opportunity to give attention to the physical environment within which education takes place. It was estimated that with previous budgets available it would take 60 years to bring the physical environment of the secondary schools alone up to an adequate standard. In 2003 SLC established a Public Private Partnership ( PPP) to invest in the Secondary Schools operated by the Council. There was the need to develop a new Holy Cross High School to serve the catchment area and replace the existing school campus which was substandard in terms of facilities and fabric and could not be easily refurbished or redeveloped within the confines of the site.

The main objectives of this project were:

• To identify an alternative site for the relocation of Holy Cross High School
• To provide a new modern educational facility with community facilities
• To consult stakeholders and the community

South Lanarkshire Council Planning and Building Standards has been involved in this project since April 2002 with planning consent being granted in 2004 and the completion of the school in August 2007.

The process comprised of the following main stages:

i) Site Identification and Assessment Parameters - requirements for both Planning and Education were agreed.

ii) Site Assessment Matrix (a comparative study of each site) - the matrix assessed each site against area, ownership, Local Plan designation, Environmental designations, Planning history/status, Site access/Traffic impact, Access to Transport, Flood risk, Water/Sewer capacity, SUDS requirements, Ground conditions, Potential for Contamination, Amenity impacts, Recommendation.

iii) Recommended sites identified in the Site Assessment Matrix were further assessed - two sites were taken forward for further assessment

iv) Identification of a preferred site - Bothwell Park, Hamilton

v) Early and effective consultation - Education undertook consultation with pupils, parents, communities and other stakeholders of the education service. Using professional knowledge and skills the Planning service made early and effective consultation with statutory bodies.

vi) Preparation of a Development Brief - Planning prepared a Development Brief which dealt with aspects of design and development that required to be taken into account by the developer when preparing to submit the planning application for the new school on the preferred site.

vii) Planning Consent - As a result of the above process being robust and thorough, it meant the planning application stage was more efficient than had the above process not been undertaken.

The key partner was Education Resource of South Lanarkshire Council. Planning worked closely with Education to ensure the approach taken was robust and effective. Planning had to take into account Education's criteria as well address the implications for land use planning. Through the process identified above, both the Planning and Education service worked together to the deliver the objective.

The results achieved were:

• Comprehensive process that can be an example of Best Practice

• Delivery of a quality product - development of a new Holy Cross High School that meets the need of the modern educational facility and provides a significant improvement in facilities previously offered to the community within the park

• Greater use of the park and improved security

• Good partnership working with internal Council services

Holy Cross High School is nominated by South Lanarkshire Council for a Scottish Award for Quality in Planning for the following reasons:

• The project demonstrates a comprehensive process that applied Planning professional knowledge and skills to ensure efficient and effective delivery.

• A corporate approach demonstrates good partnership working between services within the Council.

• The project demonstrates highly effective negotiations and consultations with a wide range of bodies which were led by the Planning Service.

• The development of the new Holy Cross High School on this site has brought a new lease of life to the park, and generated wider community benefits through

  • providing a new community centre
  • complementing new houses for sale to address tenure imbalance
  • other regeneration projects including Morrisons supermarket
  • environmental improvements