Minutes:
The Forum considered the Draft Primary Strategy report which was set out in agenda pages 33-66.
Piers Brunning informed that the consultation would be open online to primaries from 7 June 2018. The online version was slightly different from the report contained in the agenda.
Piers Brunning informed that this was a 10 year plan, taking into account the large scale development plans within the borough. Following the national programme of housing development, the Council had taken a decision to invest in large scale developments instead of a high number of smaller scale developments. The thought process behind it was that it was more effective to create the necessary infrastructure such as roads, schools and associated community facilities to a few large sites rather than having to do it to many small sites.
Piers Brunning stated that as part of the development plan two new primary schools had already been built: Floreat Montague Park (which had opened in 2016) and Shinfield West (due to open in September 2019). Two other primary schools were on course to open in 2020, one in the Matthews Green site and the other in the Arborfield site.
Piers Brunning stated that the impact of new homes was critical to the viability of new schools and neither the number of new homes nor the number of children who will live in them could be known when the decision to let building contracts was given. Therefore, the Council must have plans both for managing schools that are built too early and if additional capacity is required.
In response to a question Piers Brunning stated that the 10 year plan was based on the best evidence and guidance available, however it was expected that this would fluctuate within a band. Around two thirds of the number of houses that are planned to be built in the borough are to meet the additional housing needs that come of the household projection (from the Office of National Statistics) based on the population projection. The population projection for primary school children is flat, but despite that the number of new houses will increase, two thirds of those houses are expected to maintain the number of children in the borough
Piers explained that the projections took into account the life cycle of a household, which was considering when people tended to have children and when people tended to move out to downsize.
Piers Brunning stated that another consideration was the calculation based on affordability of houses for people working in Wokingham.
In response to a question Piers Brunning stated that birth data was used for more immediate plans, and the Office for National Statistics data were used to build the longer term plans. GPs data was part of the information received from the Office for National Statistics.
Fiona Hayward noted that some of the new houses were likely to be occupied by families splitting up who needed an additional house.
Piers Brunning stated that there was a degree of wariness in any projection because of many variables that could change the numbers.
Fiona Hayward asked Piers Brunning whether or not the data that could be made available by GP’s surgeries could be helpful in refining projections and estimates; Piers Brunning replied that in the past this type of data had indeed been used, but the disadvantage to it was that families moving out of the area often did not inform their GPs that they were doing so, they simply re-registered with a new GP, rendering such data unreliable.
Piers Brunning informed that the Council was nearly ready to sign the contracts for the new primary schools to be built, there was a lengthy pre-contract process that had to happen. The new school in Matthews Green would include a community centre and the school in Arborfield would include a large all weather pitch which would also be used as a community facility.
Piers stated that the Arborfield School was going to be a two form entry primary school with the option to go into a third form entry if and when needed, with no fixed timetable. The Matthews Green School was going to be built as a single form entry initially, but it had planning consent for a second form entry.
Piers pointed out that Woodley had been identified as an area of risk, with 1000 new houses being built. Wokingham was known as an area that was attractive to young families looking to re-located to.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.