Plans for a vital new school in Devon's newest town have been reluctantly approved after being described as a "missed opportunity". The three-form entry primary school, proposed on land at Cobdens on the edge of Cranbrook, has been given the go-ahead, though support for its look and design was underwhelming.
The development will include a nursery, a community room, a multi-use games area and a grass sports pitch. While the need for more schools in Cranbrook was widely agreed, members of East Devon District Council's planning committee were unenthused about its design.
"It's an effort in missed opportunity," said Councillor Mike Howe (Independent, Clyst Valley). "It lacks inspiration for the children going through it, and while the right ethos will be internal, the inspiration of the building is not there, and it's a bog-standard, run-of-the-mill type development."
Cranbrook member Councillor Kim Bloxham (Independent) agreed it was "very disappointing". "I know the officers have tried hard and the report acknowledges the layout is not the best, but what a missed opportunity," she said. "I fully support the delivery of a school on this site, but I reluctantly support the delivery of this one."
She added that she was concerned about a lack of space at the front of the school where pupils and parents would likely congregate at the start and end of each day. It was confirmed at the planning committee that this area outside the school would likely have to be passed to Cranbrook Town Council to maintain in the long term, as it was technically outside the official boundary of the planning application.
The school is part of a major 1,400-home scheme, and the housing developer Persimmon will pass over responsibility for such parcels of land to local authorities. A spokesperson for Devon County Council, which is the applicant, told the planning committee that the school was "a critical piece of education and community infrastructure". "It is needed to support the continued growth of Cranbrook, and the funding of £20 million will bring essential education capacity to the town as it expands," the spokesperson said on behalf of Karen Worthington, a senior education officer at the county council.
The spokesperson said the scheme had been through two years' worth of pre-application meetings to refine it, and that its design had been informed by Department for Education technical guidance, alongside the need for it to meet other official standards. He added that affordability was "challenging" in public sector budgets at present, and that the scheme should take one to two years to construct. "The number of children already exceeds the capacity of the schools in Cranbrook, and neighbouring ones have limited availability, and there is a notable shortfall of early years provision," the spokesperson added. "The delivery of this school and nursery is essential."
Another Cranbrook member, Councillor Kevin Blakey (Independent), agreed that a school was needed in the town, but also echoed the disappointment expressed by some planning committee members. "The design is still very disappointing and it is very reminiscent of the schools I attended in the 1960s," he said.
Cranbrook School Approved Despite ‘Missed Opportunity’ Design