Question over continued community use of The Downs sports hall

Plans for a new sports hall at The Downs School in Compton have been put through the wringer.

And they explain that the hall is not necessarily going to come back into community use.

Compton Parish Council objected to the plans, saying no information has been forthcoming regarding access for members of the community and it highlights concerns that this has not been supplied.

“I believe the ownership and running of this facility is still being reviewed, if it falls to an external gym company then community access will still be granted,” explained Oxford Architects.

“If it reverts back to the school then it is our understanding the school will still allow community access to the facilities.”

The parish council also said the message needed to be heard that this is a building funded by council tax payers and not the school or the local education authority.

Architects have also had to explain that windows in the sports hall won’t affect child protection, with a public footpath nearby.

“We would like to point out that the public footpath runs around the boundary so privacy and child protection could technically be an issue with any building on the site,” said Oxford Architects.

“To mitigate risk to privacy we will look at options for privacy film to be applied to the larger window overlooking the sports field.”

And they have had to include electric vehicle charging points at the site – as well as explain why a big sign for The Downs on the front of the building gives the impression that the community-use hall is just for the school.

The planning decision has been referred to West Berkshire Council’s western area planning committee (Wednesday, August 23) for a decision after residents’ concerns about the design and setting in the wider landscape.

They are also concerned about privacy for children doing PE behind large glass windows.

The existing sports hall was granted planning permission in July 1982 and permissions for extensions were subsequently approved in 2004 and 2011, however, neither of these permissions were implemented and have subsequently lapsed.

The application claims the current sports hall is no longer of a size suitable for The Downs School, which has a capacity of 1,355 pupils.

The current facilities fall below the minimum standards required for mainstream schools.

It is also in a relatively poor state of repair, with the roof having already been over-roofed due to leaking and cracks forming in the floor.

The proposed works would create a wrap-around extension on the north, west and east sides of the existing sports hall, which would also be refurbished.

The additions to the main sports hall would have a design to match the existing building, while the front extension would have a modern appearance, with a flat roof and areas of glazing.