KLW achieve positive outcome at Cranbrook School for 57 houses and apartments

Representing the Trustees and Governors of Cranbrook School, KLW was delighted to see exciting proposals across parts of the School’s estate take a significant step forward on 3 December, with a positive resolution from the Tunbridge Wells Borough Planning Committee. The outline proposals comprise residential development of up to 57 houses and apartments, including 40 per cent affordable housing at Jaegers Field, Angley Road, Cranbrook. This will deliver much needed housing in a sustainable location within easy walking distance of Cranbrook and opening up public access through the site with the delivery of new walking routes and open space.

The development will be transformative for the School in enabling the delivery of a new Earth Sciences teaching centre, replacing the existing 1950’s science building, as well as improved changing facilities. It will also enable significant investment and improvements to sports facilities at ‘Big Side’ playing fields as well as formalising their use by the Community through the planning legal agreement. Additionally, Biodiversity Net Gain will be delivered in the Crane Valley. 

With Director Chris Sampson co-ordinating the project, KLW worked closely and collaboratively with Council Officers over a sustained period, both at pre-application stage and during the course of the application itself, to address a number of issues raised by consultees. This included attaining a positive response from Sport England, with the input of specialist sports consultants and agronomists to demonstrate that the upgraded sports facilities would be of at least equivalent value to the underused pitches being redeveloped. 

KLW co-ordinated a broad range of consultants to address technical issues of highways, drainage, landscape, ecology and heritage.  Given the site’s location in the High Weald National Landscape it was important to demonstrate that the site was not typical of attributes of the broader designated landscape, whilst introducing a parameters plan safeguarding the landscaped margins of the site, including the wooded pockets and hedgerows around its margins. In conjunction with this, development is to be set back from the Angley Road frontage, and a key view corridor has been established whilst incorporating surface swales and pond as important features through the site. 

The positive resolution at Planning Committee means the planning legal agreement can progress which will be an important mechanism for securing the various community benefits, including not only the ‘Big Side’ improvements, but financial contributions to the Cranbrook Community Hub and Ball Field children’s play facilities. KLW looks forward to continuing to work with all parties in the coming months to complete the planning agreement which will ultimately facilitate delivery of the proposals.