Core Strategy Consultation on Strategy Directions 2008

Comment

Representation ID: 19783

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

RYE and RYE HARBOUR
Box 14
Objectives
(i) There is no detail on who will provide the high quality education

Comment

Representation ID: 19784

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

We would welcome new housing development in areas that would help to provide the required number of pupils to sustain schools with surplus spaces.
We will have to do further work on the fit between the villages proposed for housing growth and the capability of rural schools to support that growth. Our initial conclusions are that the number of dwellings will be beneficial to many villages in terms of helping sustain primary school numbers except possibly in the following schools where there may be problem with capacity and expansion.
Westfield
Winchelsea Beach
Etchingham
Catsfield
Fairlight Cove
Crowhurst
Stonegate
Sedlescombe
Netherfield
Brightling
Both rural secondary schools (Robertsbridge Community College and Claverham Community College) are operating above capacity, but have large sites with potential for expansion if necessary.

Comment

Representation ID: 19785

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

Strategy Directions - Countryside (infrastructure)
Para 9.72 refers to infrastructure requirements including at bullet point 4:
• "Schools and Education schemes in line with ESCC programmes".
It should be noted that Schools and Education schemes are not solely undertaken in line with ESCC programmes. They are undertaken through consultation and cooperation with
stakeholders, private sector partners, the Diocese and Trusts

Comment

Representation ID: 19786

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

Para. 10.59 requires amendment as follows:

"New education facilities are already in the pipeline such as a replacement primary school at Etchingham on a new site and a replacement primary school in Hurst Green on the same site.

A replacement for the Bexhill High School is underway, and the replacement primary school at Rye has been completed".

Comment

Representation ID: 19787

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

Para. 10.51 states:
"....unauthorised absence in Rother schools is higher, and average GCSE/A level grades are lower, than the regional averages. Although rates of teenage pregnancy are much lower than the national average, they have risen in Rother over the last ten years. Similarly the numbers of 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training has risen slightly and stood at 8% in 2007".

It should read:
".unauthorised absence in Rother schools is slightly lower, and average GCSE/A level grades are higher, than the regional averages. Although rates of teenage pregnancy are much lower than the national average, they have risen slightly in Rother over the last ten years. Similarly the numbers of 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training has risen slightly and stood at 8% in 2007 in line with the ESCC average but has actually dropped slightly since January 2006".

Comment

Representation ID: 19788

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

CRIME REDUCTION and PREVENTION
Para. 10.71 refers to:
• "Replacement and/or relocation of Education facilities (as covered in relevant spatial strategy sections)"
It is unclear where these 'relevant spatial strategy sections' are within the document and what exactly has been covered. In addition should this refer to 'relevant preferred strategy sections'?
Para. 10.72 refers to "The use of planning obligations" and "New guidance on Developer Contributions". As mentioned above, this would be better worded as "The use of planning obligations such as the requirement for development contributions".
Para.10.73 refers to a table on page 95. The 'lead agencies/partners' with regard to 'Younger People' should include East Sussex Children's Trust.

Comment

Representation ID: 19789

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

Delivery, Indicators and Targets
Whilst it is noted that the Sustainability Appraisal targets at Appendix 4 uses indicators drawn from the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills and those of Learning and Skills Council the proposed Indicators could also usefully align to those already used by the DCSF and ESCC - for example there are published Key Stage attainment scores, rather than just "% passes at grades A-C at GCSE

The County Council would welcome the opportunity to work with the District Council on the matters outlined above

Object

Representation ID: 19790

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

1. The Strategy Themes include Transport and Accessibility, but not other forms of infrastructure.

2. Infrastructure ought to be a Strategy Theme in its own right, with transport and accessibility as the 1st and 2nd headings of the theme followed by a 3rd heading covering all other forms of service infrastructure under appropriate sub-headings.

3. The Preferred Strategy for Transport and Accessibility would sit within the Infrastructure Strategy Theme alongside a new Preferred Strategy for Service Infrastructure other than Transport and Accessibility.

4. Providing a new SPD on development contributions should be a key element of the Preferred Strategy for Infrastructure and the SPD might comprise separate parts / documents covering contributions towards; a) Transport & Accessibility; and, b) Service Infrastructure other than Transport and Accessibility

Object

Representation ID: 19791

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

OVERALL SPATIAL STRATEGY

Para 5.22:
While the definition of infrastructure appears to be inclusive, it would be better;

a) if that point was explicit; and,

b) measures to make better use of existing infrastructure capacity were mentioned (as per para 5.54), i.e. amend to read "....This may be interpreted widely to include "hard infrastructure" - roads, water supply, drainage - community infrastructure - schools, leisure facilities, green spaces and services - measures to make better use of infrastructure - travel plans, travel information, car club - and other local services."

Object

Representation ID: 19792

Received: 30/01/2009

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

Para 5.79

Complementary measures to make better use of the existing transport network are necessary as well as the BHLR. On that basis, the text should be amended to read: "... highway authority that significant growth, as envisaged by the South East Plan, for both Bexhill and Hastings, is reliant upon both its construction and local measures to provide the necessary transport network capacity."