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Proposals to build a post-16 education campus at Les Ozouets received planning permission at an open planning meeting this morning.
The Development & Planning Authority unanimously agreed to give the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture planning permission to press ahead with its post-16 scheme, which the Committee now intends to complete by 2025.
The scheme was approved by the States' Assembly last year as part of a wholesale reorganisation of secondary and tertiary education at a capital cost of up to £105million - most of which will be spent on the post-16 campus at Les Ozouets.
The Authority gave planning permission for the post-16 campus to include a new sixth form centre to replace the one currently located at Les Varendes, a sports centre and new facilities for The Guernsey Institute, which currently operates from the former St Peter Port School buildings on the same site and several other locations around the island. The Princess Royal Centre for the Performing Arts will be maintained in its current location on the site and form part of the post-16 campus.
Pictured: The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture hopes to complete the redevelopment by 2025.
Road infrastructure, arrangements for active travel schemes and the size of the proposed buildings were raised and discussed prior to and during the open planning meeting.
The members of the Authority agreed with the recommendation of its planning officials that concerns about such issues could be satisfactorily mitigated or addressed through planning conditions.
Two changes have already been made to the original plans. The number of car parking spaces has been reduced to 346 to allow space for up to 200 cycles and greater pedestrianisation. And a filter will be installed - instead of traffic lights - at the junction between Les Baissieres and Le Friquet.
No member of the public made a verbal representation at the open planning meeting.
Pictured: The old St Peter Port Secondary School building, which has accommodated the College of Further Education in recent years, is being demolished as part of the redevelopment plans.
Deputy Bob Murray, who is Vice President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture as well as a member of the Development & Planning Authority, excluded himself from the Authority's consideration of the planning application.
The President of the Committee, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, said she was "delighted" to receive planning permission.
"As a key element of the overall reorganisation of secondary and post-16 education, the campus brings with it the opportunity to revolutionise education in Guernsey," said Deputy Dudley-Owen.
"It will see all post-16 learners progressing together to a single campus, fully equipped with modern 21st century facilities, to pursue their chosen professional, technical, vocational, A level or International Baccalaureate qualifications.
"I know I speak on behalf of the Committee when I say we are excited for the next steps in bringing the campus to life and we continue to work very hard to ensure it is the best it can be for the next generations of islanders."
Pictured: Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, the President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, was delighted with this morning's decision to approve her Committee's planning application to develop a new post-16 campus at Les Ozouets.
Nick Hynes, Director of Education, said the Committee could now move towards construction and "all then going well, the new post-16 campus should be opening its doors in 2025".
"Over the last few months, the planning process has been very helpful in letting us look again at the traffic plans we originally submitted for the post-16 campus. We are now going to look again at what opportunities there might be to improve the infrastructure around the site," said Mr Hynes.
"With the planning process concluded, we can now move toward starting construction, which we hope will begin with the demolition of the current College of Further Education building – the old St Peter Port School – on Les Ozouets towards the end of this year."
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