St Edmundsbury Core Strategy (December 2010)

Infrastructure Type Fundamental Essential RequiredArts and Culture (Galleries)XLocal Convenience ShopXOther Retail (including TownCentre and Key Service CentreProvision)XSchools Reorganisation8.19 Schools are important focal points for communities and meet an essentiallocal need. St Edmundsbury has a school organisation structure which currentlyoperates on the basis of first, middle and secondary schools. Suffolk CountyCouncil is currently implementing a Schools Reorganisation Review (SOR) tosimplify this structure, and change to a primary/secondary two tier system over aphased period. The intention is that this will enable much better use of resources.This will have implications for existing schools in the Borough, bothorganisationally and in terms of physical needs. Some may need more space andothers less.8.20 As well as providing for educational needs, many schools provide animportant focus for local communities providing facilities for recreation and adultlearning. The Local Development Framework, will, through policies in the AreaAction Plans, seek to retain all existing school sites which are identified as surplusto requirements through SOR, for community uses and only allowing them to bedeveloped for commercial gain as a last resort.8.21 The emerging Site-specific Rural Allocations Development Plan Documentand Area Action Plans for Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill will set out moredetailed policies for those schools where some change in space requirements isenvisaged. The Area Action Plan for Bury St Edmunds will identify a site for a newsecondary school in the town, although it is envisaged that a location on theeastern side of the town would provide a better balance in the distribution of thetowns education establishments, for which there is an identified need. The finalchoice of site will be based on accessibility, environmental impact and ensuringthe site is large enough to accommodate future needs.Balancing the supply of infrastructure and the delivery of development8.22 Planning Policy Statement 12 (PPS12) states that the Local DevelopmentFramework Core Strategy is the means for “orchestrating the necessary social,physical and green infrastructure required to ensure that sustainable communitiesare created”. Within this context, an Infrastructure Delivery Plan has beenprepared as an important part of the evidence base that underpins this CoreStrategy. It will be submitted for examination alongside the Core Strategy.Paragraph 4.8 of PPS12 describes the role of the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.The Infrastructure Delivery Plan may also be used to provide a basis to calculateappropriate charging mechanisms, should it be decided to implement locally thenew Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Final guidance on the CIL is expectedto be published by the Government in Spring 2010 and no provision can thereforebe made for its introduction at this time.83