Overview

St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School in Chatham, Kent had its upper and lower schools in separate locations, but both buildings were in poor condition and the split of the school across two sites was inefficient.

LocatED worked closely with the Department for Education, the school, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, to identify and deliver a solution that released value from surplus land to subsidise the delivery of a new school on a single site.

Challenge

We identified the DfE’s Priority School Building Programme as an opportunity to secure funding for delivery of a new school. However, the opportunity to subsidise the new school rebuild through a land disposal would require sensitive local negotiations around planning and a design solution to ensure that the loss of playing field land in one area was balanced by new provision and enhancements to facilities on the new site.

The land ownership position also required careful consideration both to resolve historic title issues and to ensure that the various landowners were aligned in progressing a disposal and use of the subsequent sale proceeds.

Solution

To address these challenges, close collaboration proved key, with LocatED ensuring a clear set of agreed objectives, timescales and approvals required.

Early engagement with prospective purchasers, the DfE land consents team, and pre-application discussion with the local planning authority, ensured that there was a deliverable development opportunity to take to the market.

LocatED managed the disposal of the site and negotiated a timescale to allow continued occupation of existing school buildings whilst construction works for the new school were completed.

Impact

LocatED agreed a sale to a housebuilder, for £3.85m. The completed scheme will deliver 139 new build to rent residential units, alongside the new school for 820 pupils.