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13.01 Community facilities embrace a wide range of functions, including
educational, social and health provision. The principal providers within Poole
are Poole Primary Care Trust and Borough of Poole, with an important
contribution from the private and voluntary and community sectors. The Borough
of Poole became a Unitary authority in 1997 and took over the responsibility of
providing services previously supplied by Dorset County Council, while
continuing to ensure that planning policies and land use allocations provide an
adequate supply of sites. Through planning agreements the Local Planning
Authority can secure planning benefits, and it is a commitment of the Council to
secure facilities for community use through Section 106 agreements where
appropriate. 
13.02 The Borough of Poole is one of a number of organisations which provides
a wide range of community services. The Structure Plan sets out a general
context for the provision of services, while organisations such as the Local
Health Trusts have their own strategies.
13.03 The Council is committed to ensuring the proper supply of services to
all sectors of the community. Over the last few years the provision of services
has shifted from the public realm towards greater private sector and independent
management at a more local level and it is the aim of the Council to work with
all groups to provide community services.
13.04 The Council’s objectives are:
- to provide equal access to a wide range of community facilities;
- to secure
the community facilities necessary for the residents of Poole; and
- to ensure that new development is balanced by the provision of the community
facilities required to support it.
13.05 Education in Poole is provided by the Borough Council. The school age
population for Poole rose by 8% between 1991 and 2003, from 17,500 to 18,900
pupils. The population is not expected to grow rapidly.
13.06 The Council's proposals for education within Poole include:
i) replacing
mobile/temporary classrooms with permanent accommodation on selected school
sites;
ii) improving specialist facilities at selected middle schools and
secondary schools; and
iii) investigating the need to extend schools, and
extending them where appropriate.
13.07 Borough of Poole supports the continued improvement and provision of
educational facilities and this is reflected in
Policy CF1.
Potential new school sites are limited and therefore, any increase in school age
numbers will mostly be accommodated at existing schools. Planning applications
for alterations and extensions for schools will be supported.
CF1 SCHOOL SITES
SITES AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS, AS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP, ARE RESERVED
FOR EDUCATIONAL USE:
i) NORTH OF UPTON ROAD; AND
ii) TURNERS NURSERY.
13.08 The Council will also support the dual use of educational facilities. It
is recognised that there is a need to make better use of both indoor and outdoor
school facilities subject to consideration of car parking, hours of operation
and other
environmental aspects. Two Secondary Schools, Martin Kemp-Welch and Ashdown,
have leisure centres based on the school site which are used both by the pupils
at the school and also the public.
Further opportunities may arise in the future to develop similar joint use
arrangements at school sites in Poole. The Council as the Local Education
Authority will liaise with all schools in order to obtain the dual use of
educational facilities for local communities.
13.09 Where school buildings become surplus to educational use, the Council will
normally seek appropriate community uses. The redevelopment of redundant school
buildings will be supported where it can be demonstrated that the buildings are
both surplus to educational use and are not required for alternative community
uses. Where a community use cannot be secured the Council will consider
alternative uses appropriate to the nature of the site and its surroundings,
having regard to
Policy L5. The 1998 School Standards and Framework Act forbids
the disposal of playing fields used by schools (including maintained and
foundation) within the last 10 years without the consent of the Secretary of
State for Education and Employment. In reaching a decision, the SoS must be
satisfied that the disposal will not have an adverse effect on the local
community.
13.10 Higher education is provided by Bournemouth University and the Arts
Institute at Bournemouth, located on adjoining sites and by Bournemouth and
Poole College in North Road.
These establishments provide an important local cultural resource that will be
encouraged in their pursuit of improved facilities.
13.11 The University has expanded rapidly during the last few years, but is now
entering a period of consolidation. The student population has stabilised at
approximately 7,500, whilst the adjoining Arts Institute at Bournemouth has
approximately 1,500 students.
13.12 All three establishments are in areas where car parking provision is
limited, and are working with
the Council to minimise transport related problems. Parking provision (including
cars) in new development will have regard to
Policy T11 and the Council’s
Supplementary Planning Guidance on Parking. For the Wallisdown Campus, the
effect of major development proposals must have regard to the whole site and the
surrounding residential areas in both Bournemouth and Poole. The Councils expect
development of large educational establishments to be guided by a jointly agreed
Travel Plan.
CF2 UNIVERSITY AND ARTS INSTITUTE PROPOSALS TO EXTEND EITHER BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY OR THE ARTS INSTITUTE AT
BOURNEMOUTH WILL BE PERMITTED PROVIDING THAT APPLICATIONS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY
MEASURES TO LIMIT PRIVATE VEHICLE TRIPS, INCLUDING PUBLIC TRANSPORT ACCESS,
CYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES AND OTHER INNOVATIVE SCHEMES.
13.13 The 1990 National Health Service and Community Care Act, has had a
significant effect on the provision of services. Poole General Hospital has NHS
Trust status while all general practitioners’ practices in the Borough are part
of the Poole Primary Care Trust. General practitioners are becoming increasingly
more business orientated with newer and larger practices, incorporating a range
of services such as physiotherapy, chiropody, social work, speech therapy and
health visiting. It is expected that the needs of local practices will change
with the expansion of existing facilities and applications for the establishment
of new, larger practices will be submitted to the Local Planning Authority. The
Council will encourage proposals for the enhancement of the number and range of
services of primary health care facilities.
13.14 Poole Hospital NHS Trust is one of the largest employers within the town,
with approximately 3,500 employees. It occupies a number of sites in the
locality of St Mary’s Road, Longfleet Road
and Parkstone Road. The Trust has undertaken a detailed strategic review of its
services to determine the future provision of health care services. A key
element of this involved the identification of areas where development and
enhancement of existing buildings were required to enable changes to take place,
taking account of the limited amount of land available for expansion. The Local
Planning Authority has received a number of planning applications for
improvements to the hospital site and it is expected that in the short to medium
term applications will continue to be made. The hospital has asked for the
allocation of land to allow for future expansion programmes and this is
reflected in Policy CF3.
CF3 POOLE HOSPITAL THE AREA TO THE WEST OF THE EXISTING MAIN HOSPITAL BUILDING, BOUNDED BY
LONGFLEET ROAD, PARKSTONE ROAD AND SANDPIT LANE, AS DEFINED ON THE PROPOSALS
MAP, IS RESERVED FOR HOSPITAL EXPANSION.
13.15 Child care establishments in Poole are provided by the Council and
voluntary groups or increasingly by private day nurseries. Private day nurseries
and work place nurseries are an increasingly popular form of child care
establishments. There are currently 68 pre-school groups operating within the
Borough (39 pre-schools, 4 maintained nurseries and 25 day nurseries). Many
operate in church halls, community centres or other such communal halls.
However, day nurseries proposed within residential properties provide specific
problems, such as noise and traffic generation and particularly safety, in
respect of the dropping off of children on busy highways.
13.16 The Council is mindful of social services criteria regarding spaces per
child and will consult fully in respect of children’s needs. In granting
planning permission, the Council will normally attach conditions relating to the
specific use and to the maximum number of children considered acceptable.
Cumulatively, such applications can lead to an erosion of the residential
character of
an area. This policy does not relate to work place based child care facilities
or to child minding which is ancillary to the use of a house as a dwelling.
CF4 CHILD CARE FACILITIES THE USE OF PREMISES FOR DAY NURSERIES WILL BE PERMITTED PROVIDED THAT:
i)
PROPERTIES IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS HAVE
AMENITY SPACE TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSED NUMBER OF CHILDREN;
ii) REAR GARDENS ARE
ENCLOSED AND BY
THE NATURE OF THE PROPOSED USE WOULD NOT CAUSE DISTURBANCE TO NEIGHBOURING
PROPERTIES; AND iii) ANY PROPOSAL DOES NOT PREJUDICE HIGHWAY
SAFETY.
13.17 The Borough is served by ten libraries, and a mobile/outreach service. The
Council will seek to maintain the existing level of service provision and revise
facilities where appropriate. The Central Library has been refurbished and
Branksome Library has relocated to its new site in Ashley Road. During the plan
period, the current Rossmore Library will be replaced by the new Rossmore
Community Library and Learning Centre, which will be built on the grounds of the
Rossmore Community College.
13.18 The Council has long supported the comprehensive coverage of community
centre provision within the Borough. Current coverage extends to thirteen
community associations, all of which operate from Local Authority owned
premises. The associations offer a wide range of services encompassing day and
evening classes, playgroups and youth clubs. The Council has a commitment to the
continued support of community services, with the aim of providing community
centres across the Borough where the need exists.
13.19 There are four existing cemeteries in Poole (Branksome, Broadstone,
Parkstone and Poole) and one Crematorium at Gravel Hill, Broadstone, all owned
and maintained by the Council. About seven per cent of all deaths in Poole
result in burials but land for burials is becoming very scarce.
13.20 Substantial expansion of existing cemeteries is not possible and a new
site will eventually need to be provided to meet future demand. A suitable site
would be located close to the highway network and public transport routes; in
proximity to the existing urban boundary; and be capable of providing a chapel
and on-site car parking.
Government guidance states that Green Belt is appropriate for this purpose and
in Poole, the Green Belt offers the most likely location for a new cemetery.
Planning permission exists for a cemetery on part of the Mortown Aerodrome Site.
13.21 In Poole many different religious faiths are represented. Religious
buildings serve a number of important community functions as well as being
landmark buildings in their own right. A number are of high architectural merit
and provide a valuable contribution to the townscape of the Borough. Should a
religious building which is worthy of retention become redundant, appropriate
alternative uses should be found.
Where possible, if a local need is recognised efforts should be made to locate a
use within a redundant property.
13.22 Planning permission has been granted for a major fire station and training
facility at Marshes End, Creekmoor which includes direct access onto the Upton
Bypass to help reach incidents more quickly. Also permission has been granted
for the existing Fire Station on Wimborne Road to be redeveloped as a Fire and
Police Administration Headquarters with new and updated facilities.
13.23 The Building Regulations, Part M, is concerned with access to and
provision of public facilities for disabled people, to all new public buildings
and proposed extensions. The Council’s car parking guidelines provide for a
proportion of disabled spaces close to suitable entrances to all public
buildings.
13.24 The meeting of community needs locally can make an important contribution
to our quality of life and, by improving levels of self sufficiency, can assist
in reducing the need to travel. There are a number of uses which can perform a
community function and the importance of a given facility will be determined in
part by the availability of alternative choices for a particular community. In
most cases, those residents who depend upon isolated or scarce facilities are
likely to be acutely affected by their loss.
13.25 The Local Planning Authority will seek to retain sites currently or last
used for community facilities, either through change of use or redevelopment,
unless: the site is clearly unsuitable for the use in question; there is an
alternative facility in the locality which could serve the needs of the
community if the site is lost; replacement facilities are proposed; or there is
no need for the use. For the purposes of
Policy CF5 the most common examples of
community use include:
- Corner/local shops;
- Public houses;
- Nursing and rest homes;
- Child nurseries;
- Dental practices/doctor’s surgeries;
- Health centres;
- Community halls;
- Places of worship;
- Hospices; and
- Nursery schools.
CF5 RETENTION OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT WILL NOT BE PERMITTED WHICH WOULD LEAD TO THE LOSS OF PREMISES USED,
OR LAST USED, FOR COMMUNITY PURPOSES UNLESS:
i) THE PREMISES OR THEIR LOCATION ARE
UNSUITABLE FOR SUCH USES; ii) ADEQUATE ALTERNATIVE
ACCOMMODATION IS AVAILABLE LOCALLY; iii) REPLACEMENT FACILITIES ARE PROPOSED; OR
iv) THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE USE.
13.26 The substantial majority of development in Poole over the Local Plan
period will take place on previously developed land within the existing urban
area. As a consequence, a high proportion of new development will rely upon
existing community facilities such as schools. In certain cases, however, the
level of development could place an excessive burden on existing facilities to
the extent that it would either stretch those resources unacceptably, or
alternatively would place a limit upon the amount of new development. This is
most likely in situations where significant development opportunities exist and
where these come forward in a short space of time, but could also occur as a
result of localised cumulative pressure from development. Under circumstances
such as these, it is appropriate that new development makes provision for
community facilities needed to enable its implementation.
CF6 PLANNING OBLIGATIONS - COMMUNITY
FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT SHOULD MAKE APPROPRIATE PROVISION FOR THE COMMUNITY FACILITIES
NECESSARY TO ENABLE ITS IMPLEMENTATION. THE LEVEL AND NATURE OF PROVISION NEEDED
WILL DEPEND UPON THE TYPE, LOCATION, SCALE AND CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF THE
DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED. |
