Delivering Our Free School Programme – Land Disposal

The Director of Children’s Service introduced the report which lays out Thurrock’s plan to build new schools, and to dispose of land to be able to do. The Chair made the point that the Committee was only considering the first recommendation, and informed that the other recommendations for Cabinet, the Committee could only comment on.

The Chair started by asking what the process was in identifying sites as suitable for disposal. The Director of Place answered that the Education Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA) worked with the Council to identify suitable sites, which was difficult as getting planning applications on brownfield land was a challenge. The sites also had to be a certain size and in the right location to meet the needs of schools within the borough. Then the negotiations with the ESFA begun to be able to build the school, during which the ESFA sought pre-planning advice and decided that two of the sites identified (Orsett Heath and Treetops) were satisfactory.

A discussion then began on the current usage of the sites, and it was shown that the site at Orsett Heath is public open space and the site at Treetops is vacant space. The Trustee of Thurrock Rugby Club was invited to speak by the Chair and told the Committee that the site at Orsett Heath is used regularly by Thurrock Rugby Club, and had been since 1978. He stated that 200-300 children use the site for youth rugby and festivals, and as well as Thurrock children it also benefited children from outside the borough who travelled in for tournaments. He went on to state that the public open land is used every Saturday and Sunday during the rugby season for matches, as well as weekdays for academy and training. In addition, the pitches were critical to the survival of the rugby club as without youth rugby and the associated festivals the club could not bring in enough revenue to maintain itself.

The Chair asked Officers if they had consulted with residents on uses of the site. The Assistant Director of Property and Development stated that there were two separate pitches, one which was rugby club land and another which was open public space; and that the Council had no intention to use Thurrock Rugby Club land. He specified that part of negotiations with the ESFA would be regarding out of hours use of pitches for the rugby club, or multi-use pitches. He went on to mention that part of the process would be public consultation, and the result of which would be taken on board before the disposal of the land. Therefore, this was why one of the recommendations would be to delegate the decision to officers and Cabinet members. The Chair asked for clarification regarding the next step in the process for Cabinet, which was explained as the report would be going to Cabinet in June for approval and the decision would then be delegated.

The Chair felt concerned about the identification of the sites, and agreed that although it was a duty to provide sufficient school spaces, it could not be at the expense of amenities to the residents and local clubs.

Councillor Churchman echoed the comments of the Chair and asked Officers if they will leave other sites for the rugby club to use. The Assistant Director of Property and Development stated that the Council will not take away land that is Thurrock Rugby Club’s, as there are two separate sites. The Trustee of Thurrock Rugby Club replied that the public open space land had five pitches and that it was used more than occasionally. He went on to observe that if the Committee agreed this report the club would lose revenue as they could not use the pitches during the day as the school would need them for PE lessons.

The Chair felt that the loss of amenity if the site is used is inevitable, even with other pitches available. A discussion then began regarding why the Council are proposing this site, and if it was because they believed the pitches were used less often than they actually are.

Councillor Fletcher observed that there was a need to find land for schools, but that there needed to be an awareness of Thurrock Rugby Club. Councillor Duffin then made a point on process, and if it was suitable for the Committee and Cabinet to agree to dispose of the land before any public consultation had been undertaken. He asked that before approval was given if the result from consultation could come back first. He also made the point that the club was already losing revenue as they could not plan for future events as their future did not look permanent. The Director of Place responded that there will be a consultation on the loss of the public open space land as part of the planning application.

The Chair then summarised the findings of the Committee that there was no argument on the need to find school places within the borough, but that there was concern as the future of Thurrock Rugby Club and loss of their revenue needed to be considered. He stated that the Committee wanted to see real resident engagement during consultation, and the alternatives offered if the Orsett Heath site is rejected. The Committee was also of the view that this should not be a delegated decision, and that it should remain in the public domain to ensure the required level of scrutiny. In addition it was felt, Recommendation 1.2 should be reworded to identify that the land shouldn’t be disposed of until after consultation. Councillor Duffin then made the point that consultation should be wider than simply asking the public’s views, and should include negotiations with Thurrock Rugby Club. There was a brief discussion about the Treetops site which led to the Chair pointing out there may be similar problems and due diligence should also be given.

RESOLVED: That:

1.    Corporate Overview and Scrutiny note the proposed Cabinet recommendations 1.1 to 1.5.

2.    The decision related to these land disposals not be completed under delegated powers.

3.    Disposal of any land is not finalised until wider consultation with communities.

4.    Cabinet consider the comments made in the above minutes at June Cabinet.