Special Educational Needs School to Replace Thatcham Physiotherapy Practise

Thatcham businesses are having to find new homes after plans for a special educational needs school were approved – despite nearly 100 objections.

Phoenix Learning and Care's application to convert The Grange on Church Gate results in Harris Mind and Body and Raytheon having to relocate.

Philip and Sarah Harris are owners of Harris Mind and Body, a family-run physiotherapy business based in The Atrium at The Grange.

Speaking at a West Berkshire Council eastern area planning committee, they stated that their landlord didn't communicate any of the planning changes with them until days before the application deadline.

Mr Harris said: "We feel this is our only way that we can possibly fight."

Mrs Harris said: "We believe that we provide a reliable service to the local population to access and not just a small minority and we wish to continue with that."

However, the council argued that the need for a special educational needs school is more important than keeping the physiotherapy practise.

But Mr Harris said: "I disagree with the summation in the report that one service is above another."

Agent for Phoenix, Lucy White said: "The proposal will provide 60 new school places for children with special educational needs. In particular social, emotional, and behavioural needs such as autism, Aspergers, ADHD and severe anxiety.

"These pupils are unable to cope in larger mainstream settings and will benefit from smaller class sizes and the applicant's integrated therapies such as speech, language and educational psychology."

She added: "The leases for the sub tenants come to their natural end in October to November without right to renew."

Graham Bridgman (Con, Burghfield and Mortimer) said: "If the landlord decides not to renew a tenancy, why should the planning process interfere with that?"

He said it was a shame that Mr and Mrs Harris' business could not be saved but the law did not permit it.

The development will be phased in and the nursery will be term-time operating only, with staggered pick-up and drop-off times, which Mrs White said would decrease the use of the area.

Mrs Harris said: "The school would only be using it during term-time, so there is a large chunk of every year that all the buildings would be empty."

She said that their physiotherapy service supports GPs as well as general health and wellbeing.

"Ultimately we are asking, can we co-exist?" she asked.

During the council meeting, offers were made to the applicants to help them find an alternative premises.

Tony Linden (Con, Tilehurst Birch Copse) said: "I am certain that there most probably will be alternative premises round the locality that could be available because retail is changing drastically."

Mr and Mrs Harris now have 16 months to find a new suitable home.

They said: "We have reached out to the councillors that offered to help us during that meeting and are waiting to hear back from them.

"This will be no easy task but certainly helped with support from our local councillors and MP who we have also reached out to."