RECREATIONAL OUTLINE SCHEME
Policy
approved by
Date approved
Review
due
Person
responsible
OUTLINE SCHEME FOR INFORMAL RECREATIONAL USE
BETWEEN NORTHERN ACADEMY HULL LIMITED,
THOMAS FERENS ACADEMY
AND
KINGSTON UPON HULL CITY COUNCIL
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Thomas Academy (“the Academy”) opens in September 2012, on the site currently
known as the Princess Elizabeth Playing Fields, Hall Road, Hull.
The Principal of the Academy (who commenced in post as Principal Designate from
September 2011) will be responsible for community use and lettings of the Academy
facilities *, in line with a policy to be developed by the Governing Body.
In order to meet Outline planning condition 42 (permission reference 09/000573/OUT)
The Academy will enter into an agreement with Kingston Upon Hull City Council regards
informal recreational use of the Academy site with the intention of maintaining public
access to the playing fields.
PURPOSE OF THIS INITIAL SCHEME
The initial scheme was developed to set out the requirements of, and a framework to
agree upon, the detailed scheme for informal recreational use of the Academy Site.
SCHEDULE OF DATES
The detailed scheme shall be submitted in accordance with the following schedule and
shall be fully agreed between all parties 6 months prior to occupation of the Academy.
Principal Designate in Post
September 2011
Detailed scheme to be worked up with
Academy Trust and Principal Designate
Detailed Scheme to be Submitted to &
Agreed by the Local Planning Authority
Academy Opens
September 2011 - March 2012
March 2012
September 2012
*NB. The Academy manages its own community use and is not part of the centrally
managed community system such as the “Community Hub”
CONTENTS OF THE DETAILED SCHEME - TO BE SUBMITTED TO AND AGREED
WITH THE LOCAL PLANNING AUTHORITY
In order to meet the aforementioned planning condition, the detailed scheme to be
agreed shall demonstrate that the academy shall grant access and make playing field
areas at the site available for informal recreational community use at specified times, out
of normal school hours when the Academy pupils are not using the playing field facilities
after 17.30 pm and until 21.30pm. Access would also be subject to Community Use
sports lettings. The majority of the surface area of the Academy playing field is marked
out for rugby and football sports pitches, cricket pitch and athletics events (summer).
During the Academy school day when timetabled curriculum, sports activities and team
practices are taking place public access would not be possible due to safeguarding and
child protection requirements.
It would not be expected that recreational activities would be able to take place on the
marked pitches or the athletics track/events area and the cricket pitch. Due to the tightly
spaced layout of pitches there are no unused areas of the field. Pitches abut against
each other and the boundary outer fencing, while spring and summer sports overlap
these areas. See Appendix 1 plan drawing of the playing fields
Access to the public while community use activities are taking place would be subject to
health and safety and the booking conditions for individual clubs, with the public directed
to a safe area for watching a match. Most public viewing of sport is likely to take place
from the Council owned area of the Princess Elizabeth playing field areas outside the
boundary fencing.
It is expected that community use of sports facilities will be in high demand. It is already
proposed by Yorkshire Cricket Club that five or six cricket clubs/groups will regularly use
the site as well as it being used to develop junior cricket in North Hull. There has also
been interest expressed by football and rugby groups.
The detailed scheme to be agreed shall include proposed details to demonstrate
which areas of the site shall be available for members of the public, during which
specified hours, and any prohibited uses (e.g. excluding dog walking), clearly
identified by appropriate site plans and tables of hours.
Until the Academy has opened and timetabled sport use of the playing field is finalised,
and sports teams are developed with practice periods identified, which will take place
after school, it is not possible to give details for potentially agreed public access timings.
Sport community use for some sports will commence quite quickly after opening others
will be booked through the Autumn term of 2012. Access will be considered for the
reasons noted above and subject to both safeguarding/child protection and health and
safety.
The Academy will manage its own community use through the Business Manager’s team
with a designated person having responsibility for community use bookings. Detailed
expectations and requirements are provided for community users including expected
conduct/behaviour, indemnity insurance requirements and first aid provision. Caretaking
staff will have responsibility for oversight of the site on a daily basis and for opening and
closing of access gates. They will also monitor conduct of members of the public on
site. Responsibility for those groups/club members who have booked community use
will be identified as to be through a named person on the booking form.
Since the Academy site is an educational establishment catering for young people aged
between 11 and 16 years there will be an expectation, which will be enforced, that users
of the site will conduct themselves in an acceptable way in dress, use of language, will
not leave litter, damage any equipment, fencing, planting or the playing surfaces, dogs
will not be permitted on site with the exception of a guide dog for a blind person.
Members of the public and community users of the site will be polite at all times to
Academy staff and will follow reasonable instructions if asked to move from an area or
off site. If Academy teachers, caretaking or support staff or booked in community use
persons deem that members of the public are on site in an unsafe situation, or they have
contravened the expected conduct requirements they will be asked to leave the site and
if a difficult situation progresses the police will be called. It should noted that the site has
CCTV coverage, which could also be used to monitor such situations.
Access points along the southern perimeter leading directly onto the playing field is
through gates which will be opened when the site is available for public use after 17.30
and up to 21.30. During the school day all the access gates to the site will be locked.
Enquiries about access would need to be made at the main reception for the Academy
off Hall Road. Where access to members of the public was due to take place, but there
is a change due Academy use or a late community booking then it may be necessary to
temporarily withdraw the access for safeguarding/child protection or health and safety
reasons.
Until the Academy opens in September 2012 it will not have communication systems,
phone, on line, or have working postal address. Administration, support staff and
teaching and management staff only begin work when the Academy opens. It will only
be possible to run the timetable, start to manage community use bookings after that date
so the detailed practical operational scheme for site management, community and public
use access arrangements, detailed schedule for implementation is targeted to come into
place at the end of October.
The detailed scheme shall include a mechanism for review that may be invoked by either
the Academy or the Local Authority in the event that the access arrangements agreed in
the scheme are not being adhered to, or to address any issues arising from the
scheme’s operation.
The detailed review will take place annually in Spring/April each year at an agreed date
and the Academy Hull City Council Sport Officer and Yorkshire Cricket will also consider
proposals for sport community use and public access for the new school year. Any
alterations to the scheme following review shall be agreed with the Local Planning
Authority and the Northern Academy Trust.
31.5.12