Plans to expand a South Cumbrian school for children with disabilities and special needs have been objected to by Sport England.
Sandgate School wants to extend its satellite site on Appleby Road in Kendal and create new classrooms, hall and replacement storage building.
But because part of the plans would use an area currently used as a playing field, the government body has opposed the scheme. It said there was no mitigation for the loss of part of the playing field and the plans did not comply with any of the exceptions outlined in the organisation’s playing fields policy.
Among its comments is that there ‘is no evidence to suggest that the playing field is not needed’.
Cumbria County Council has lodged the application with South Lakeland District Council and its planning committee was recommended to refuse it.
In a report produced ahead of the meeting, case officer Sonja Swift says: “Sport England are a statutory consultee on developments involving playing fields, with a specific policy remit to oppose the granting of planning permission for any development that would lead to the loss of, or prejudice the use of all, or part of, a playing field unless one or more of the five exceptions stated in its policy apply.”
Ms Swift said the applicant’s agent pointed out the proposal includes a multi-use sports hall and was on ‘an area of playing field that is generally unused for outdoor physical education or a formally marked-out pitch’.
Sandgate School shares its satellite site campus with The Queen Katherine School and, said Ms Swift, would retain use of its playing field and sports pitch facilities. Ms Swift added that plans included with an application to the Department for Education calculated a loss of 3.5 per cent of field space.
The planning committee was due to discuss the plans yesterday, but the application has been deferred to allow Cumbria County Council to address Sport England’s concerns.
