£40m Bognor Regis College gets the go-ahead from county planners

The county planning committee voted to give the go-ahead for a new 1,800-place Bognor Regis Community College, to replace the existing split-site schools.

It also backed proposals for the relocation of existing multi-use games courts, improvement to access from Westloats Lane/Frith Road, and the construction of a new car park at the college, in Westloats Lane.

Planning permission for the developments, proposed by the county council itself, was granted by the committee.

The present school roll is 1,472 pupils, together with 112 teachers and 78 support staff.

Seven letters of representation were received from local residents expressing concerns about the impact of the development on homes, loss of privacy, design, traffic implications and drainage.

But an officers' report presented at the meeting said the design and appearance would be 'appropriate and acceptable.'

There would not be an unacceptable impact on the surrounding area, or on nearby residents.

There was no objection from Arun district planners or from Bognor Town Council.

County councillors imposed a range of conditions, covering issues including materials, tree protection, landscaping, drainage, fencing, and light pollution.

Capital planning manager Peter Proudley said the development was part of a national programme to bring all secondary schools in the country up to 21st-century standards.

The focus was not just on the replacement of tired buildings, but a change in the teaching and learning that took place. The introduction of ICT on a 'much grander scale' than at present was planned.

Mr Proudley told the committee: "This is a key part of the regeneration of this part of the county, and sits alongside other regeneration projects.

"This will produce a high-performing school that will contribute to the skills of local people."

Committee chairman Cllr Mick Hodgson said the building would be a lot bigger than all the premises on the County Hall campus.

At 120,000 square feet, it was by far the biggest building that had ever come to the committee since he became a member.

"This is a magnificent project, which I fully support," said Cllr David Dewdney.

But Cllr Janet Mockridge said the plans looked like a factory. "It looks as though it was designed in the 1920s, when we had a lot of slab buildings," she added.

Cllr Andrew Smith said what was proposed was a huge improvement, and Cllr Brian Hall said modernity had a lot going for it from an architectural point of view.