College expansion gets the go-ahead

A Preston sixth form college has been given the go-ahead for a major expansion in order to meet demand for places, amid protests from residents living nearby who say they cannot park close to their own homes.

Cardinal Newman College has been told it can build a new two-storey teaching block on what is currently a car park at its campus off Herschell Street.

The establishment expects to have 5,000 students by the end of the decade, a near six percent increase on the 4,727 currently enrolled at the complex.

Preston City Council’s planning committee approved the new building – the latest in a series developed in recent years – after hearing that the college would be forced to “cap” its numbers at their current level unless it could create extra space.

However, members were also told of the negative impact of the existing facilities on the quality of life of surrounding residents -who fear the situation will only get worse as a result of the additional 200 students the expansion will bring.

Under the now approved plans, the new block will sit directly behind the St. Teresa building and take up half of the car park on which it will be constructed. The remainder of the plot will then be reconfigured to provide 16 new parking bays, resulting in an overall loss of 26 staff spaces from the site.

Twenty-two objections were lodged to the expansion and one opponent – identified only as Ms. Dadabhoy  – addressed the committee directly, describing what she said was the “stark” contrast between living in the area durign term-time and in college holidays.

“Residents can’t park anywhere near their own properties, emergency vehicle access is compromised… visibility at junctions is frequently reduced due to cars being parked too close [to them and] driveways are blocked.

“The sheer volume of students gathering before and after the college day can’t be ignored – noise…loitering [and] inconsiderate behaviour are affecting the quality of residents’ lives.  Pavements are always overcrowded at peak times, forcing parents with prams, young children and elderly and disabled residents into the road,” Ms. Dadabhoy said.

Fishwick and Frenchwood ward councillor Valerie Wise – who ‘called in’ the application to ensure that it was decided by the committee and not town hall planning officers – said the area was already plagued by on-street parking.

“Motorists unfortunately are notorious for wanting to park as close to the place they’re visiting [as possible] – that’s just what people do,” Cllr Wise said.

However, Helen Binns, speaking on behalf of the college as the agent for the application, said that the 26 on-site parking spaces that would be lost as a result of the development would be reprovided in privately-run car parks where Cardinal Newman reserves bays for its staff.  A further three of these spaces will be secured, at the request of highways bosses at Lancashire County Council, to account for a slight increase in college employees.

Ms. Binns also stressed that 90 percent of all Cardinal Newman students arrive on site by bus, train, bicycle or on foot – with those who do come by car often being passengers in a vehicle driven by someone else and so not in need of a space for the day.

She told the committee that the expansion plans had been drawn up to deal with the “pressing need to provide additional accommodation in order that the college can continue to meet the demand for post-16 places”.

“Applications for next year are up by 14 percent…[and] if the college is unable to provide additional places, this will result in them needing to cap their intake at current levels – and young people will be turned away.

“This is not something the college wants to do, particularly as it’s an engine for social mobility and recruits many students from some of the poorest wards in Preston and Lancashire,” Ms. Binns said.

Asked by deputy committee chair Sara Holmes whether on-street parking in the vicinity could be restricted to residents only, city council head of development management and building control Natalie Somers said that was a matter for the county council – and not something the authority had requested in relation to the expansion proposal.

Committee member Cllr Phil Crowe questioned whether the plans represented an “over-development of the site”.

“If you live round there, it must be horrendous,” he said.

Ms. Somers said the on-site building work was not an over-intensification of the plot itself, but acknowledged that there was a “very finely balanced judgement” to be made about the wider effects.  

“It’s clearly having an impact now and there’s going to be some sort of tipping point .  I’m not sure the planning process needs to decide that now – [and] the college will also have to think about that

“At what point will it get to [the stage] where the site can no longer cope?” she asked.

That is a question that may have to be answered in the very near future, as even the now approved expansion still leaves the college with a space shortfall of 1,785 square metres.  It has undertaken a series of small-scale expansions over the past six years amid the absence of funding for a larger prtoposed new building within the college grounds which was suggested as part of a masterplanning exercise back in 2017.

A report by planning officers assessing the current project noted that the site is an urban one – meaning the development was “considered acceptable” and complied with local planning policy.

Several committee members expressed sympathy for residents, but also concern that the college was able to meet its needs.

Cllr Freddie Bailey – an ex Cardinal Newman student himself – said he felt the county council could implement, outside of the planning process, the kind of mitigation measures that are used on residential roads close to hospitals and football grounds.

“[It’s] a fantastic college…we’re lucky to have a college like that.  We need to try and provide a balance for the expansion,” he said.

His committee colleague, Cllr Harry Landless, added: “It’s in a very tricky place at the heart of a residential area – but the worst thing you could do now is to… say to the college, ‘Well, if you want to expand, you’re going to have to shut down here and go somewhere else’ –  which I just don’t think would be the right thing to do, [although] I do feel for the residents.”

The application was approved by a majority – with eight councillors in favour, Cllr Crowe against and Cllr Holmes abstaining.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached Cardinal Newman College for comment after the decision.