Old Pennar School - My objection letter.

Development Control Section

Planning Division
Pembrokeshire County Council
County Hall
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA61 1TP

Adrian James

C/o The Weir

Cross Park

Pembroke Dock

Pembrokeshire

SA72 6SN

 12 May 2015

 Dear Sir/Madam

Planning Application 14/1098/PA – Old Pennar School

I am writing to state my objections to the proposal to demolish the old Victorian school in Pennar and replace it with 15 dwelling units.

I have gone into further details about this proposal in the attached papers, and in this letter I wish to focus on some of these points, and others.

1.       The Planning Application (Access and Design Statement) is clearly ill thought out and put together in haste. The papers available (some only available on the website TWO days before the comment deadline) consist mainly of standard policy rubric that has clearly been utilised elsewhere (“Square and Compass”?) for a completely different application and the document is an insult to the intelligence of both the planners at PCC and the local population.

2.       The design DOES NOT pay regard to the local building style, which is largely late Victorian/Edwardian in nature.

 3.       Access to the site is restricted as the lane network behind Military Road is both narrow and has a difficult turn into the school gateway. The lane from the gate on Cannons Lane to the original school playground is narrow and it would be difficult to accommodate both vehicles and pedestrians at the same time. There is also limited access for emergency vehicles. See my note attached.

4.       The school buildings are a known and current roost for bats (as described on the internet blog http://saveoldpennarschool.blogspot.com/2015/04/bats-roost-in-old-pennar-school.html). No acknowledgment of this is made by the developer. This again indicates the cavalier attitude and lack of sensitivity with which this application has been approached.

5.       The proposed development infringes the privacy of the existing homes on School  Gardens. The properties are overlooked by the north facing windows of the new development.

6.       The application pays lip service to the facilities available to the residents of the new development, but most of the distances quoted  in the access statement are inaccurate. Please see my later notes.

7.       The Old Pennar School has an important place in the history of the community of Pennar and is a significant hill top landmark. It is the place where the firefighters who fought the oil tanks blaze at Llanreath/Pennar in August 1940 rested. They were treated royally by the local population. The school was a place where heroes rested.

As Phil Carradice, well known local author, historian and broadcaster, is quoted in the blog post Phil Carradice Speaks about Old Pennar School:

“Pennar School was one of many institutions that brought education to everyone and, as such, it is an historic building that needs to be preserved, not demolished to build yet more houses.”

I feel very qualified to speak out about this planning application as I have looked at the building from the house where I was brought up for the last 50+ years. I went to the school and my mother taught at the school.

I am certain that there are better options that could be employed to preserve the building and yet give it a useful role again.

Its wanton destruction will be a lasting memorial to those who have little regard or sense of place for the community of Pennar. The building is sound, well built (apart from the likely introduction of asbestos based materials when “renovated “ many years ago) and has good internal features that could be saved.

 I hope that the information I have provided in this letter and enclosures, as well as on the blog site

 www.saveoldpennarschool.blogspot.com

 is useful in exhorting you to refuse the application.

There are planning grounds that would allow you to refuse the application, but beyond those, the demolition of the school would do a grave injustice to the people of Pennar and their heritage.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Adrian James

 

 

Comments on Planning Application:  Pembrokeshire County Council : 14/1098/PA

Application Details

Planning Application Ref: 14/1098/PA 

Validated Date: 15-Apr-2015 

 Application Type: Major (Full) 

Site Notice End: 13-May-2015

Publicity Notice End: 06-May-2015

Area: Pembroke Dock Town Council 

Community:Pembroke Dock: Pennar 

Main Location: Old Pennar School, Treowen Road, Pennar, Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, SA72 6NZ 

Full Description: Demolish existing school and erection of 15 dwellings 

 

Applicant Details

Title: 

Forename/Initial: 

Surname/Company Name: Pembrokeshire Housing Association 

Company Contact Name: Sam Stalbow 

Address: Meyler House, St Thomas Green, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA61 1QP 

Case Officer:Martin Allen 

Agent Details

Title: 

Forename/Initial: 

Surname/Company Name: Trevor Hopkins Associates Ltd 

Company Contact Name: Trevor Hopkins 

Address: Parc House, Parc Teifi Business Park, Cardigan, Ceredigion, SA43 1EW 

 

Comments

 

Planning Papers

·         The Applicant has made no effort to engage or consult with the local community as part of an application that seeks to obliterate a place that has played an important role within the community of Pennar.

·         The building marked for demolition is a significant landmark within the community.

·         The new buildings pay no respect to what is on the site at present.

·         No acknowledgement or recognition of the ecological impact on protected species (known to be on the site)  is present in the application.

·         Swept Path Analysis Dennis Sabre Fire Engine (LWB) for Old Pennar School.

Access to the rear of the building for emergency vehicles is restricted. Any major fire emergency would require the attendance of more than one vehicle, which based upon the plans provided and personal knowledge of the site, would be difficult if not impossible to accomplish safely.  (Further Comment awaited by me from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue)

 

 

Design and Access Statement

 

·         Page 7. Access for all vehicles is restricted. It is likely that at least some of the houses or flats will have occupants who own more than one vehicle.  Parking is limited to 16 vehicles for 15 households.

·         Distances to amenities are inaccurate:

Distance quoted by developer’s agents. Probably straight line distances.	Walking or driving distances are:
	Drive	Walk
Convenience Shop – 150 metres	480 metres	190 metres
Local Shopping Centre  - 500 metres	2000 metres	1370 metres
Doctors – 1300 metres	2120 metres	1480 metres
School – 600 metres	420 metres	420 metres
Public Open Space – 500 metres	960 metres	400 metres
Train Station  - 1400 metres	1850 metres	1520 metres

 

·         Page 8. Community/Neighbourhood Engagement – It would seem that the developer has made little effort to seek community involvement in this project. I am unable to find evidence of any.

·         Page 10. I know of no place called “square and Compass” in Pennar and the site does certainly not adjoin the settlement boundary.

·         Page 11. The design is out of scale and pays little regard to local architectural design. The buildings, unlike those in the neighbouring site of “School Gardens” occupy a prominent, hill top position and destroy a distinctive community landmark in Pennar which has important historical connections with events in the area.

·         The paragraph quoted below;

·         Is clearly untrue in every respect. The design, location and construction meet none of the values expressed in the above paragraph as quoted by the developer.

·         Page 12. Likewise,

·         is clearly untrue for this proposal in almost every respect.

 

 

·         Page 13. This;

      

·         demonstrates quite clearly demonstrates the scant regard that a developer, supposedly with some degree of social and emotional intelligence, pays to local feeling and sense of place.

·         Pages 14-16.  Design Concept of Proposed Development

This is largely standard, formulaic “waffle”. The focus on the use of cycling is naively admirable, but not a vital consideration in Pennar where the local authority has made very little allowance for their safe use on the hilly road system.

·         The properties in School Gardens will be overlooked and have some infringement of their privacy.

·         The proposal constitutes over development of the site.

 

For other comments, very relevant to this issue:

www.savepennarschool.blogspot.com