Click here to see map for location of Kingswood House School 56 West Hill Epsom

22/01653/FUL Demolition of an existing building, relocation and reprovision of MUGA Sports pitch, and construction of new access and parking facilities for a SEND school.

This Planning Application is for permission to close and demolish part of Kingswood House School (KHS),an existing successful school providing a mainstream school experience for a significant number of pupils who would otherwise have to attend smaller specialist SEMH or SEND schools, and replace it with a smaller school for around a quarter of the number of exclusively SEMH pupils plus some housing, thus enabling a later development of further housing on the current school’s playing field area. The Society finds little to recommend it, and has accordingly written a letter of objection.

First, the proposal is treating the current site as two separate entities, despite the KHS Trust having occupied it as a school for more than 100 years, thus seeking piecemeal development of what should be treated, in Planning terms, as a single site subject to a single planning application. The approach taken creates the risk of the proposed new school, once having received permission, never in fact being built. This risk is significant, since current SCC policy is to ensure all current and future SEMH needs are provided within the state system, not by private independent schools. If SCC policy prevailed or a viable privately-funded business case could not be created, a further application to replace the approved new school with further housing would be inevitable.

Secondly, the Society questions whether the proposed travel and parking arrangements are realistic or practical, and thus compliance with policy CS16 “Managing Transport and Travel” of the core strategy (2007) is woefully lacking. The SCC Principal Transport Development Planning Officer has also asked for significant further detailed information to be provided by the Applicant to demonstrate the viability of the proposal before presenting his final comments to EEBC.

The third area of concern is that the current KHS, itself an Asset of Community Value and a landmark building, lies within the Stamford Green Conservation Area. Closure of the school would lead to loss of local amenity value and the proposed changes to the site would have a significant visual impact on that area and be less than sympathetic to its surroundings. That the Conservation Area is the subject of an Article 4(2) Direction also means that the change of the current hard standing parking area is required to be the subject of a separate planning application.

Finally, some essential ecological impact assessments have not been provided. Since they require surveys to occur during spring and summer, a delay to the decision seems inevitable.

For all the above reasons, the Society has strongly objected and recommended refusal.

See our letter here.