The future of the Police Training College in Sunbury - Question to the Council and the answer

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 22nd Jun 2006

At the Council meeting on the 22nd June Caroline Nichols asked whether the Council Planning Department had held any discussions on the future of the Police Training College in Sunbury.

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COUNCIL MEETING - 22 JUNE 2006

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

The Police Training College in Sunbury

The community in Lower Sunbury understands that the Metropolitan police are intending to dispose of the training college. Has the college been sold and have pre-application discussions started with Spelthorne's planning department?

Why does this site - which is very significant for Lower Sunbury - not appear in the Local Development Framework?

This site would be ideal in terms of size and location on which to reproduce a sheltered housing scheme like the Brockhill complex in Woking. Would Spelthorne BC consider approaching the Metropolitan police to make this site available for a similar scheme, bearing in mind that Spelthorne is expected to facilitate four more such schemes in addition to Beechwood Court?

Caroline Nichols, 143, French Street

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RESPONSE

"Unfortunately, I am not able to confirm whether the training college has been sold or otherwise. I can advise that the Planning Department is aware that the college are looking at various options, but I understand that to date there have been no detailed discussions to date. As you will know, the Planning Department actively encourages pre-application discussions, and are happy to look at future possibilities with the police prior to their submission of any application, if they wish to do so.

The LDF document sets out the vision for the future of the borough with core strategic policies, plus more detailed policies and a number of supplementary planning documents. The Preferred Options consultation (which closed on 15 June) sought comments on the core strategy, detailed policies and site specific allocations. Any additional sites, which have been suggested as part of this process, will be considered in the coming months or so by the policy and implementation team.

There are only 12 site specific allocations in the Preferred Options LDF, which relate to housing, town centre developments and other developments. These sites are considered to be the ones, which will assist to the greatest extent in delivering the overall strategy (for example in terms of meeting the required housing numbers). The aim was to include only larger sites within the borough (that is over 0.47 Hectare), which are, for example capable of bringing forward a substantial number of residential units.

It is acknowledged that in the eyes of Lower Sunbury residents this site is extremely important. However, the fact that it has not been specifically allocated in the LDF does not mean that any application for future development (residential or otherwise) would not be considered in a positive light, but that will depend upon the specifics of the scheme, which may or may not come forward."