The school is located within the Green Belt and the project team had to ensure that the scheme delivered a building which was not materially larger than the one to be demolished, in order to comply with national planning policy.
All Saints High School, Lancashire
On behalf of Tilbury Douglas Construction and the Department for Education, Iceni Projects’ Manchester Office managed the planning application and public consultation process concerning the redevelopment of All Saints High School, located in Rawtenstall, Rossendale.
The scheme is one of the many schools in the region benefitting from the Government’s ‘school rebuilding programme’, which carries out major rebuilding and refurbishment projects at school and sixth-form college buildings across England, with buildings prioritised according to their condition.
In this case, the existing school building is extremely poor quality and in a state of disrepair. It was determined that the most efficient way to redevelop the site, and to ensure pupil learning is not disrupted, is to construct a new building on the playing fields of the school, allowing pupils to transfer across once complete, followed by the demolition of the current buildings at the end of the construction process.
The new school building will have two and three storey elements and will allow up to an additional 25 pupils. The new building will be sited on land that currently forms the existing 3 court Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) and on the northernmost part of the playing field with a long jump pit. The MUGA and long jump pit will be relocated and re-provided within the site.
The school is located within the Green Belt and the project team had to ensure that the scheme delivered a building which was not materially larger than the one to be demolished, in order to comply with national planning policy. Further, the team had to carefully consider the siting and design of the scheme so as to protect the amenity of neighbouring residents. The area of playing field to be lost was also a key matter to resolve, in co-operation with Sport England.
Iceni’s Manchester team managed the project on a day to day basis and were able to overcome these issues, working collaboratively with the project team and Rossendale Borough Council during the pre-application and determination stages.
The team submitted the application in spring 2023 and were able to secure planning permission by September of the same year. The application was welcomed by members at planning committee and the resolution to grant was unanimous.
Iceni are retained to manage the discharge of condition process and a start on site is expected in early 2024.
Key Contact
Associate Director
T: 0161 509 2840
M: 07891 766 294
E: jentezari@iceniprojects.com
Senior Planner
T: 0161 509 2840
M: 07825 517 718
E: lfurber@iceniprojects.com