At the end of 2021 we were delighted to receive positive planning decisions for our client, The Island Project (IP), a registered Charity and independent school serving the needs of children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome aged 5 to 19 years in Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The IP is currently based at Diddington Hall, Meridian (within Solihull Metropolitan Borough) but needs to be relocated due to its proximity to High Speed 2 (HS2) and the adverse impacts the rail project will cause to the pupils who have very severe learning difficulties.
As the School is a very important asset to the locality and other Local Authorities it serves (including Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Sandwell, Birmingham, Torbay, Northamptonshire, Coventry, and Leicester), we decided to apply direct to the Secretary of State (SOS) for Transport for deemed planning permission and decontrolled works under Section 50 and Schedule 18 of The High-Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017. We sought redevelopment of Jerrings Hall Farm, Dickens Heath for the relocation of the IP including conversion works, internal and external alterations to the listed buildings, the installation of two single storey modular buildings, construction of car park, taxi-drop off and waiting area, infrastructure works and associated landscaping.
The project was complicated given the site is located within the West Midlands Green Belt, the buildings are Grade II listed, it provides habitat for several European protected species and there is no formal surface water drainage ‘system’ on site at present. We acknowledged that there would be harm to the Green Belt but suggested that this was outweighed by the following Very Special Circumstances (VSCs), which we devised: the HS2 legislative framework; an educational need; life-long benefits to society; benefits to potential future pupils; the need for a rural location; lack of alternative sites; and the poor condition of the stable block (which is of higher heritage significance than the main building).
We also devised the following public benefits case and suggested that they would far outweigh the harm to the listed building: introducing a viable use into a vacant listed building; preserving the stable block instead of substantial irreversible alterations; provision of special needs schooling; meeting the special education needs for children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome; provision of special needs education to children from both within and outside of the Borough; retaining skilled jobs in the locality; provision of a SUDs; biodiversity enhancements; and, provision of dedicated cycle parking facilities. Ultimately, the SOS agreed with us both that VSCs existed and outweighed the harm to the Green Belt, and the public benefits outweighed the heritage harm.
The SW Planning Team also assembled the consultant team and coordinated their outputs. We have worked on this project for several years and so have witnessed the difficulties and pressures the uncertainty HS2 has placed on the IP. Overall, we are extremely happy for the pupils and their families, all staff, and trustees that the planning process has come to a successful conclusion. We would like to thank our colleagues and consultants who have worked on the project including Jo Williams, Liz McLoughlin both of SW and Paul Rogers (CMS Architects), Vicky Hunns (TDR Heritage Ltd), Jo Robinson (Clarkson & Woods Ltd), Clive Onions (Clive Onions Ltd), Paul Stevenson (Stability Consulting), Matt Mercer (Condon Drew Associates Ltd), Stuart Choak (Calibro Consultants Ltd), Treework Environmental Practice, Environmental Dimension Partnership, Box Twenty, Integrale and Beacon Land Surveys.