The Local Development Order will simplify the planning process for the College over the next 15 years, providing clarity, confidence and flexibility for the delivery of up to 23,000 square meters of education space.

That Torbay Council adopts a Local Development Order for South Devon College, following the support given to the Local Development Order by the Council’s Development Management Committee at its meeting on 14 March 2015.

Expansion and improvement of education facilities within Torbay, including South Devon College, is included within a policy framework document - the new Local Plan (Policy SC3).  The use of Local Development Orders, as a delivery mechanism, is also included in the new Local Plan.

South Devon College has occupied its current Long Road campus since 2005.  Since this relocation the College has expanded, most notably through the provision of the University Centre in 2011 and the nearby South West Energy Centre in 2013.  Other planning permissions have been granted but not all have been implemented and one of the reasons cited for not implementing permissions and stalled expansion is the complexity and complications around securing funding at the appropriate times.

The College has a 15 year estate strategy and has supported the evolution of a proposed LDO in order to help overcome the some of the barriers that have historically stalled growth.

The LDO will support the delivery of the College’s future needs in terms of expanding the educational facility to help deliver new teaching space, indoor sports and recreation space, student accommodation and ancillary uses.

The LDO will give security to the College towards achieving its long term ambitions and provide greater confidence to invest.  Strategically it will provide the opportunity for the College to respond quickly when external funding opportunities arise and demonstrate that projects are deliverable.

Operationally the development potential of the LDO could deliver an additional 1700 learners being supported and an additional 200 training places per annum, in addition to 120 FTE direct jobs and 200 FTE indirect jobs.

The use of ad hoc planning applications, as has been the case in the past, has been considered and rejected.  Planning applications will be submitted for this site where / when they fall outside the parameters included in the Local Development Order.

This decision will come into force and may be implemented on 27 April 2016, unless the call-in procedure is triggered (as set out in Standing Orders in relation to Overview and Scrutiny).

Local Development Orders (LDOs)

A Local Development Order is a tool within the planning system which may be used by the Local Planning Authority in order to grant planning permission for certain types of development within a defined area, and by doing so, remove the need for planning applications to be made.

Benefits of an LDO

The granting of an LDO can improve certainty for development proposals, provide a more flexible approach to development or redevelopment, and encourage growth and investment on specific sites.

The proposed LDO Area

The site of the proposed LDO is the South Devon College Campus on Long Road in Paignton.  The site includes the former “Syntech” site which is now in the College’s ownership.  The site has an area of approximately 11.9 Hectares.

The LDO Proposal

The LDO proposal is to grant permission for two classes of development that are considered to be supportive of the growth agenda of South Devon College as a key educational facility.  The two classes of development are:

1.     The provision of development that falls within use classes C2 (Residential Institutions) and D1 (Non-Residential Institutions) of the Town and Country (Use Classes) Order 1987 (As Amended) and student accommodation (Sui Generis Use),  and;

2.     The provision of small scale ancillary uses that support the primary use of the site as an educational facility.

The Development Management Committee considered the proposed LDO at its meeting held on 14 March 2016 and recommended that the Mayor approve the proposal.

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