School project faces fields hurdle

Lower Fields Primary School wants to build a kinaesthetic activity space at the school in Fenby Avenue.

Building the new facility would lead to the loss of an area of playing fields – so the planning application is a departure from the adopted Replacement Unitary Development Plan, which allocates the site as school playing fields and an area of local nature conservation value.

However, a report to be considered by Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee today said: "The development is a kinaesthetic activity space, which is considered acceptable in principle on a playing field, since, in addition to sport and recreation, it can be used for educational purposes."

The space – which is based on the principle of learning by doing – can be used for a number of sporting and recreational uses. While it can be laid out for sports such as a tennis court or five-a-side football pitch, the space can also be used for other types of physical activity such as drama, which can complement the school curriculum and provide opportunities for the wider community.

It is envisioned that the project will be open to other schools, several of which are within walking distance.

The committee will be advised to approve the application subject to various conditions.

If it backs the bid, it must then be referred to the Secretary of State via the Government Office in Leeds for him to consider whether he wishes to call in the application for his own determination.

A report which was considered by the Bradford Area Planning Panel on June 17 revealed that Sport England had objected to the proposal on the grounds that the development would lead to a loss of part of a playing field and that "there is no evidence to suggest that it is an exception".

However the panel referred the application to the Regulatory and Appeals Committee with a recommendation that planning permission be approved, subject to a number of conditions.

The report said: "The importance of protecting playing fields is acknowledged, as is Sport England's policy of non-development of playing fields.

"However, while development that is unconnected to sport and recreation could lead to a permanent loss of opportunities to participate in sport, it is not considered that this is the case with the current proposal.

"This is simply because the kinaesthetic area could be used for sport, such as tennis or five-a-side football and hence there is no loss of facilities."

It added that the development will not "lead to the permanent loss of part of the playing field; rather, it will provide new facilities for sports and games and, on this basis, it is not considered that relocating the site is necessary".

The site is based on a landfill site, which was used as a domestic refuse disposal facility during the 1960s and 1970s.

The report said: "Given the type of waste involved, the site may have potential to generate contamination and, although the site is now restored and contains a school and playing fields, the sensitivity of the proposed use and the nature of the wastes that underlie the site would appear to indicate that there is a significant potential contamination risk associated with the proposed development."

But it concluded that potential contamination of the site could be controlled by planning conditions.