Somerset planning: School destroyed by fire is set to rise from the ashes
A plan to rebuild a school destroyed in a fire last year, turning a hotel into a special school, and converting a three bedroom house into a seven bed HMO are among the schemes people are trying to get planning permission for in Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset.
Every week, the two neighbouring unitary authorities receive hundreds of planning applications and we have selected some of the most interesting proposals.
All planning applications are available for public inspection on the respective council’s website. Most plans will be decided by council planning officers, but some of the most significant or contentious will go before the councils’ planning committee.
Planning committees are made up of elected councillors but decisions should be decided based on the council’s planning policies, not local politics — although it doesn’t always turn out that way.
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Bid to rebuild school after fire
A primary school partly destroyed by a fire last year could soon be rebuilt. On May 29 2023,
a fire ripped through Yatton Infant School
, destroying six classrooms. Now plans have been submitted to rebuild the school.
A planning application submitted to North Somerset Council seeks planning permission to build six new classrooms, along with new group rooms, library, food technology room, toilets, an extended hall, and some other facilities. Three classrooms would be for children in year one, and three for children in year two, replacing the destroyed classrooms. One classroom quill be fitted out as a “nurture space.”
A statement describing the plans submitted with the planning application said: “A courtyard provides a central focus linking infant and junior school buildings, to create a ‘one school’ feeling, aiding transition from infants to juniors. All classrooms have direct access to an external teaching space.”
The size of the school will stay the same as before. Since the fire, temporary classrooms have been used. An all-weather pitch installed alongside the temporary classrooms will be retained as the school have found it “valuable.”
Six fire engines and 36 firefighters tackled the blaze in 2023. The fire broke out at half term when there was nobody inside the building. There were no injuries reported and the fire’s cause was found to be accidental.
You can view and comment on the plans here.
Boutique hotel could become special school
Redhill House, a boutique hotel in the North Somerset Countryside close to Bristol Airport, could soon be turned into a school for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
A planning application has been submitted to North Somerset Council to turn the hotel into a state-funded school for children who “need a more therapeutic and bespoke education package.”
A statement submitted with the application said: “The new state funded school will be operated by Five Rivers who are committed to providing children with the best opportunities available. The state funded school will create a supportive, safe environment for children for whom mainstream and other school settings have not worked.”
It added: “The state funded SEND school at Redhill House is a crucial new facility that will contribute towards addressing the significant need for a SEND provision for 6–18 year old children in North Somerset and adjoining areas.”
Nearby Bristol has given its support for the scheme, with the city council stating it was “fully supportive” of the plan. The neighbouring local authority said in a statement: “Our priority is to have Bristol children educated as close to the city as possible. This school will create a number of much needed spaces for our children on the boundary.”
You can view and comment on the plans here.
Three-bed Bath home could become seven-bed shared HMO
A three bedroom house in suburban Bath could soon be turned into a seven bedroom shared house.
A planning application has been submitted to Bath and North East Somerset Council to turn 10 Holcombe Green in Weston into a house in multiple occupation (HMO). The plans would see a new flat roof extension built on the patio, as the house is expanded to accommodate three bedrooms downstairs.
The layout upstairs would also change to fit in a fourth bedroom up there. A statement submitted with the application said: “High-quality HMO accommodation will be provided. The bedrooms exceed expected sizes and well-arranged communal spaces have been designed. Calculated energy efficiency measures will improve the comfort and energy demand of the house.”
It added: “HMOs play a valuable role in the local housing mix. They provide accessible and affordable accommodation to key demographics, including students, hospitality workers and young professionals.”
But neighbours were less happy, with ten people submitting objections. Rebecca Garcia Levy said: “The character of the neighbourhood is largely residential, with a close-knit community feel. The introduction of a multiple occupancy building risks altering this dynamic, leading to transient occupancy and a lack of long-term community cohesion.
“This could negatively impact the well-being and safety of current residents and detract from the overall sense of community.”
You can view and comment on the plans here.