Sixth form teaching block at Katherine Warington School, Harpenden

“Katherine Warington School is located on the northern side of Lower Luton Road occupying a 17.2 hectare site, of which a large proportion is playing field. The site is located within the Batford area in the northeast of Harpenden. The wider school site comprises various school buildings, playing fields and two car parks, one that is accessed from Lower Luton Road and the other being a staff car park accessed from Common Lane.”

“In accordance with the Council’s Scheme of Delegation, the application has been assessed against the Main Modifications policies to determine if it needs to be returned to Committee with the Chair of the Development Management Committee and the Development Manager. The Main Modifications Document policies which are relevant to the assessment of this application are set out at para 2.6 below.”

“For transparency, all conditions that were before Members when they resolved to grant permission on 7 July 2025 are re-attached in full, with the addition of the newly proposed Travel Plan condition. The Heads of Terms for the proposed s106 agreement have also been amended as set out in this addendum report.”

“Following Members’ previous resolution to approve the application subject to completion of a Section 106 agreement securing both the School Travel Plan and a £3,000 Travel Plan Evaluation and Support Contribution, a legal issue has since been identified relating to the leasehold structure of the site.”

“- Harm to the Green Belt; - CCTV footage illustrates a problem already exists; - Transport Assessment (TA) is inconsistent with the proposed increase in the number of FTE staff; - Concerns at methodology used by the TA in calculating car parking availability in nearby streets; - Car park occupancy concerns; - Disruptive drop-offs and pick-ups; - Estimate of number of sixth form students learning to drive is unsubstantiated; - Pupils will travel from afar; - Insufficient bus…”

“- Original dedicated sixth form space is being used for other purposes; - Previously permitted car park expansion; - No viable proposal within the application to cover a suitable Travel Plan; - Historic traffic surveys indicate local roads are already over capacity; - Road and junction improvements associated with original consent have not been implemented; - Recent introduction of yellow lines in the area; - Disruption during recent closure of on-site car park due to safety…”

“It was moved by the Chair that the application be GRANTED conditional permission subject to the completion of the Section 106 agreement and as set out in the report. It was CARRIED. Votes were recorded as follows:”

“B. That planning permission be granted subject to conditions.”

“A. That the applicant, within six months of the date of this committee meeting, enters into a legal agreement, pursuant to S106 of the Act in relation to the provision of:”

“C. That in the event the S106 agreement is not completed within six months of the date of the committee resolution, grant officers delegated authority to refuse planning permission for the following reasons:”