Agenda item

[Report of the Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability]

This report introduces a proposed draft Highgate School Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability introduced the report which proposed draft Highgate School Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for consultation.

Cabinet noted that the SPD had been developed in partnership with Highgate School, to help give more certainty to the local community about future development in the School’s estate. It is important to recognise that the School’s historic and contemporary buildings make a significant positive contribution to the built environment of the area. The SPD seeks to ensure that the School in keeping with it’s past, continues to show shown great sensitivity in the conservation, repair and enhancement of its built heritage and in its approach to new buildings. It was also important that the School environment is accessible and environmentally sustainable and this SPD sets the framework for doing so.

RESOLVED

1. To note the comments and recommendations of Regulatory Committee of 2 March 2020 regarding this Draft SPD; and

2. To approve the draft Highgate School SPD, attached as Appendix 1, for public consultation in accordance with the Haringey Statement of Community Involvement.

Reasons for decision

To progress the preparation of an SPD. The purpose of the draft SPD is to provide a masterplan and provide guidance on a comprehensive approach for the delivery of new accommodation to meet the long-term needs of the School, and to support enhanced community use and benefits. This SPD will be used by the Council as a material consideration when determining any future planning applications for the School and will help inform any future applicants and local residents.

The Council’s adopted Site Allocations DPD envisages the Council adopting an SPD for Highgate School as this is considered to be the most effective way of securing that any future development of Highgate School meet its needs, accessibility requirements and provides for enhanced community benefits, whilst preserving the heritage and amenity of Highgate in line with the adopted Local Plan Site Allocation for the School.

Alternative options considered

There is one alternative option to the preparation of an SPD which is to do nothing. Notwithstanding the commitment in the Site Allocations Local Plan document to bring forward an SPD for the School, this is an option, albeit with some disadvantages as outlined below.

If the ‘do-nothing’ option was continued, Council officers, the Planning Sub-Committee and in the event of appeals, Planning Inspectors, would continue to exercise judgement when making decisions on specific proposals that Highgate School put forward, but without the guidance the SPD would provide. However such an approach may give rise to greater uncertainty and slower decision making, and does not allow for the more strategic consideration of the School’s development as a whole, including giving guidance on key land use principles, notably that of development in Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) and in the curtilage of Listed Buildings.

Additionally, such an ad-hoc way of dealing with estate wide issues may not give the local community the overall picture of development intentions in and would not enable the community to comment and input into the School’s long-term development. Rather residents and businesses would only be able to comment on individual applications without this wider context. Set against the benefits and relatively modest costs associated with the preparation of an SPD, this option can be discounted.