Environment r. retention of the area bounded by New Romney Crescent, Hamilton Lane and Scraptoft Lane as Green Wedge to prevent the merging of Leicester and Scraptoft, and to provide recreational resource for new and existing residents of the locality.

Our concern here is that this policy to apply the Green Wedge to this area would restrict its potential use, which may in turn not lead to the best master planned proposals for the whole SDA. In particular, we consider that the area defined as Green Wedge and within the SDA (shaded pink) should be considered as a potential location for the proposed new primary school, as the land is otherwise unconstrained, would be well-located to serve the proposed and existing population and offers an opportunity, which we are keen to explore, of providing a larger community facility that can include community facilities such as meeting places, sports hall and sports pitches for use of the wider community. The Green Wedge policy would preclude the development of the built element of the school.

The Green Wedge has buildings within it currently, including the golf club house and its ancillary buildings, and has the farm buildings within this part of the Green Wedge, so is not without built development of a similar scale already. A two-form entry school would be around 2 hectares and the built floor space (assuming some community use too) might be around 4,450 sq. m, so less than 6% of the proposed retained Green Wedge area. The pitches and outdoor space would be compatible with the Green Wedge (and are allowed for by the Green Wedge Policy GD7), and to be attractive and useful would need ancillary car parking and changing facility/clubhouse, so the additional floor space to accommodate the school (over and above the farm buildings and buildings required for the pitches) would be a small increase, and we do not consider this at all compromises the objective of maintaining the separation of Scraptoft from Leicester.

We would also contend that locating the school within the Green Wedge accords with Policy GD7 Green Wedges in that school playing fields are specifically referenced in paragraph 2 and that development is relatively small scale and the use of the Green Wedge meets other objectives such as the provision of community facilities and additional access to open space areas, which are not accessed currently or wouldn't be unless these new facilities are provided, so there are clear public benefits of locating the school within the area. It is also important to recognise the issues of timing and programming of the school provision and the availability of land within the SDA. The Policy at 3.e. requires the school to be provided 'soon after the completion of 300 dwellings'. The provision of the new replacement golf course is likely to require a build programme of 3 years from start to completion, until the course is fully playable. This means that the current golf course area would not be accessed for around 3 years and development of the SDA would start elsewhere outside of the golf course area, which is land generally in the south of the SDA area. Our outline trajectory assumes (conservatively) that by 3 years some 220 new dwellings will be completed, but by this time it is likely that the school construction will need to have started to enable the school to be available in time. This would mean it must be developed on land in the south of the SDA. We feel there are also advantages to the school relating well to the existing village and catchment of Scraptoft. It is likely the school will draw from existing residents too and a more central location and one well-related to the village (which does not have a primary school) better serves the existing population.

Our aim therefore, is to retain the potential to locate the school within the(existing /retained) Green Wedge area and to allow the proposed master plan to assess and evaluate options, which can include for issues such as the availability of alternative sites, timings, scale and nature of the school (including community uses) and such like, but not to rule out this option at this stage.

If it is considered incompatible with the Green Wedge policy as it stands, then we recommend the area east of New Romney Crescent within the SDA is omitted from the Green Wedge but that provision is made within the Policy itself, with paragraph r. revised as follows:

* Suggested Revised r. retention of the area bounded by New Romney Crescent, Hamilton Lane and Scraptoft Lane as predominantly open space uses to prevent the merging of Leicester and Scraptoft, and to provide recreational and other community facilities (including the primary school), for new and existing residents of the locality (changes in bold).