AREA REVIEW OPTION APPRAISAL REPORT - Flintshire€¦ · AREA REVIEW OPTION APPRAISAL REPORT BRYNFORD CP SCHOOL, LIXWM CP SCHOOL AND YSGOL RHOS HELYG, RHOSESMOR 1.1 PURPOSE OF REPORT

AREA REVIEW OPTION APPRAISAL REPORT Brynford CP, Lixwm CP and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor

February 2016

Ref EDUC/018/007

Prepared by:

Property and Design Consultancy,

Flintshire County Council,

County Hall, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 6NW

AREA REVIEW OPTION APPRAISAL REPORT

BRYNFORD CP SCHOOL, LIXWM CP SCHOOL AND YSGOL RHOS HELYG, RHOSESMOR

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose of Report & Methodology 1.2 Client Brief & Proposed Area Requirements

2.0 SITE SUITABILITY REVIEW

2.1 Long list Site Options

2.2 Shortlist Site Options

3.0 ANALYSIS OF EXISTING SHORTLIST SITES

3.1 Site (A) – Brynford CP School

3.2 Site (B) – Lixwm CP School

3.3 Site (C) – Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor

4.0 OPTION APPRAISAL OF PROPOSED SITES

4.1 Option 1 – Status Quo

4.1.1 (1A) Brynford CP School

4.1.2 (1B) Lixwm CP School

4.1.3 (1C) Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor

4.2 Option 2 – Area School on One Site


4.2.1.1 (2A1) Extension

4.2.1.2 (2A2) New Build


4.2.3 (2C) Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor

4.3 Option 3 – Retain Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor & One Area School on Brynford or Lixwm CP Site


4.3.1.1 (3A1) Extension

4.3.1.2 (3A2) New Build


5.0 ESTIMATED BUILD COSTS 5.1 Cost Summary

6.0 OPTIONS EVALUATION

6.1 Options Summary

6.2 Evaluation Process

6.3 Appraisal Matrix Summary

6.4 Strengths, Weaknesses & Evaluation Summary

7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 Preferred Option & Recommendation



1.1 PURPOSE OF REPORT & METHODOLOGY Flintshire County Council Design Consultancy have been appointed to undertake an appraisal report to investigate three options for three school sites, namely Brynford CP, Lixwm CP and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor. The report will compare the school’s existing accommodation and facilities against current Building Bulletins (BB99) guidelines, which will highlight any deficiencies. Following on from this analysis, the appraisal report will proceed by investigating the three options. The report will evaluate, compare and seek to identify proposals that fulfil the client's brief and aspirations. Finally, the report will finish with conclusions and recommendations which will aim to issue a preferred solution (or solutions).



1.2 CLIENT BRIEF & PROPOSED AREA REQUIREMENTS Education & Youth has commissioned Design Consultancy to prepare options for a Building Impact Assessment for the area which covers Brynford CP,

Lixwm CP and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor. The assessments should highlight relevant information such as Repairs/Maintenance backlog and a comparison against relevant Building Bulletin and Education School Premises Regulations.

The three options are:

Option 1 – Status Quo Name of School Capacity

Brynford CP School 58 + 8 Nursery

Lixwm CP School 71 + 10 Nursery

Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor 168 + 17 Nursery

Total Capacity 297

Option 2 – Area School on One Site The capacity of the area school on one site has been calculated by reviewing the current pupil numbers in the area with a 10% float

Name of School Capacity

Area School on One Site 270 + 30 NurseryOption 3 – Retain Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor & One Area School on One Site (either Brynford CP or Lixwm CP School site) The capacity of the area school on one site has been calculated by reviewing the current pupil numbers in the area with a 10% float

Name of School Capacity

150 + 20 NurseryYsgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor (Status Quo) 168 + 17 Nursery

When developing the options in detail, the Authority has complied with statutory and non-statutory design guidance applicable to schools within the County which includes:

Current Building Bulletin Guidance Documents

Flintshire County Council Local Development Plan

Welsh School Premises Regulations 1999

BRE Environmental Assessment Methods for Schools

Flintshire Carbon Reduction and Energy Policies

Local Authority Highway Guidelines

Current Building Regulations

Equalities Act 2010



Proposed Area Requirements (BB99 Benchmarks): Option 1: Status Quo (Existing schools brought up to BB99 benchmarks in accordance with current pupil numbers) Option 2: Area School on One Site (270 place school, age 5-11 + 30 Nursery)

Likely Gross Building Area: Infant, Primary & Nursery (BB99) 1,690m² Pitches 5,400m² Soft Informal 1,550m²

Games Court 1,140m² Hard Play Informal 850m² Habitat 500m² Float 1,500m² Total – 12,630m²

Likely Site Area (BB99) – 12,020m² to 13,500m²

Option 3: Retain Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor and bring up to BB99 benchmarks in accordance with current pupil numbers.

One Area School to be proposed on either Brynford CP or Lixwm CP School Site (150 place school, age 5-11 + 20 Nursery)

Likely Gross Building Area: Infant, Primary & Nursery (BB99) 1,105m² Pitches 3,000m²

Soft Informal 1,225m² Games Court 900m² Hard Play Informal 655m² Habitat 370m² Float 850m² Total – 8,105m²

Likely Site Area (BB99) – 7,700m² to 8,700m²



2.0 SITE SUITABILITY REVIEW 2.1 LONG LIST SITE OPTIONS The purpose of this section of the report is to investigate which sites/land within the catchment settlement areas of Brynford, Lixwm and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor, might be available to accommodate any of the proposed options detailed in the client brief. As the proposed client options refer to each of the existing schools, all three of these sites will automatically be included within the shortlist and reviewed during the development of the report. However, to help ensure that all possibilities are explored, it is important that any land that may be suitable is identified and assessed. Further to a number of consultations with Flintshire County Council’s Planning Department, discussion led to the identification of Pentre Halkyn as a potential location for a new Area School. It was confirmed that this 4th option and the land indicated in the Land Registry plan, was not completely owned by Flintshire County Council and a number of sites would have to be purchased. It was also established that if the land was successful with regard to making the shortlist, then the existing community centre highlighted on the plan, would have to be retained and incorporated as part of any design feasibility scheme.

Map Indicating Longlist Site Options & Location

Land Registry Plan: Location, Size & Area of Available Land in Pentre Halkyn (N.T.S)



Originally identified as a possible site to accommodate an Area School, the land indicated within the Pentre Halkyn area is considered to be unsuccessful in relation to making the shortlist of sites that are to proceed and acquire a design feasibility. Due to the costs involved in connection to obtaining the land, the existing size of the site in its entirety and the timetable for the Local Development Plan (LDP) for the area, this discounted the 4th site location as a feasible option and therefore, it established and reduced the long list to a final shortlist of sites:

Site A: Brynford CP School

Site B: Lixwm CP School

Site C: Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor

Following the process within this section, the proposed options will now be evaluated and the report will conclude with a preferred site and option, including a recommendation.

Unsuccessful Site – Pentre Halkyn

The settlement of Pentre Halkyn is small and whilst being a defined village in planning terms does not benefit from any dedicated allocations for development. The accompanying settlement boundary of the village is tightly drawn around the village and there are no suitable sites therein to accommodate the scale of development envisaged.

The land in question has challenging proportions and is closely associated on three sides with existing residential development limiting the scale of development here to a school of small proportions as well as limiting the options for a well-designed school development on this land.

Consideration has been given to submission of this site for the Local Development Plan, however, advice from Planning Officers has indicated that the timetable for the LDP development stretches far beyond this project timescale. To create a new settlement area to encompass the land in discussion would take in the region of 5 years to complete, and then there would be no guarantee of achieving planning consent for the proposed school development. As such we recommend that given the problems associated with this site and the availability of better options that this site not be submitted as a LDP candidate site.



3.0 ANALYSIS OF EXISTING SHORTLIST SITES 3.1 SITE (A) – BRYNFORD CP SCHOOL The site lies to the South of the village of Brynford and has southerly views towards Mold. Access for vehicles and pedestrians into the site from the highway in both directions is good. A layby exists on the highway alongside the school which is used as a drop off point. The existing site area is generous for the current pupil intake and the Authority also owns land adjacent to the rear boundary, which enables the school site area to expand even further if needed. Other survey observations include;

Road access and visibility are considered to be good

Has a large layby on the highway that is used as a school drop-off point

Site is remote from the village

Site located within settlement area

Village allocation for new domestic dwelling developments is reached, which means that if Brynford CP was considered to be sold off, the site would not have a capital receipt value.

A comprehensive ground investigation will be needed to ensure no mineshafts are present

Any proposed improvements/extensions will need to receive planning consent. The original single storey brick building with a slate covered pitched roof, was built around 1954 and has grown since to accommodate toilets, staff spaces and store provisions. The extensions which were carried out around 1966, are built using brick cavity wall construction and include felt covered roofs rather than tiled. The school car park and hard play surface separates the school buildings from the highway. Both the car park and hard informal play areas appear large when compared to the current pupil intake for the school.

The building, being load bearing in nature, will have to be considered if the existing layout needs to be remodelled to accommodate new stores, offices and wider corridors. The adapted spaces will need further investigation to ensure that they would comply in terms of acoustics and teaching requirements. The EPC rating will be reduced and may not comply due to the age of the structure.



Existing Site Plan (N.T.S)

Existing Accommodation Site Area – 9,796.1m² Net Site Area – 9,395m² Gross Building Area – 400.9m² Total Room Area – 348.4m² Issues

Three classrooms under 60m² including no class store rooms

No Nursery and Reception classroom provision including change and WC facility

Works required to comply with Equalities Act include accessible WC and improving restricted access for those people with a disability.

Car park is oversized.

Excessive soft play and social areas

Main hall, sports and dining facilities not satisfactory.

No pupil cloakroom facilities.

Small kitchen facility.

No separate secretary’s office. Identified Maintenance Works The current backlog/list of identified maintenance works equates to a total of £50,413.00.



Existing G.F Plan (N.T.S)



Front Elevation Rear Elevation

Habitat Area P1 Habitat Area P2



3.2 SITE (B) – LIXWM CP SCHOOL The site lies to the North West of the village of Lixwm and has good southerly views onto farm land in the direction of Mold. The school site is situated within easy walking distance of the village, however, pedestrian access into the site from the highway in both directions is poor. Car parking for staff is restricted. The site area is generous for the current pupil intake and the initial survey and analysis suggests that there is potential to accommodate improvements.

The school at Lixwm was first established in the Calvinistic Methodist Chapel. The date stone incorporated into the present school building refers to

1847. However, this date could refer to the foundation of the school rather than the date of the building. The original school was extensively extended in

the 1980’s. Both the original and new extension to the school are of traditional construction with brick and stone walls and pitched slate roofs. Other

survey observations include;

Part of the site outside the settlement boundary.

School and part of hard play area is within the boundary

Playing field and part of the hard play area is outside the boundary.

Village play area adjacent to school site is held in a trust. Trustees would need to be consulted regarding any development on site.

Planning may be unable to approve any housing development on the school playing field.

Planning department has suggested that since the playground has been constructed outside the Settlement Area, there is a possibility that the

boundary could be extended to allow for a development. However, this is not the case for the school playing field.

Lixwm CP School is situated on a sharp bend on Ffordd Gledlom.

Car parking on site is poor and staff also use the local public car park off Ffordd Gledlom.

Parents/carers often turn around in Parc Capel and park in Ffordd Gledlom. Parents/carers are unable to find a space and have to park on the

B5121. This situation results in congestion at the beginning and at the end of the school day.

There is no potential for additional parking on site.




Existing Accommodation

Site Area – 6,205.4m²

Net Site Area – 5,502.3m²

Gross Building Area – 703.1m²

Total Room Area – 592m²

Issues

Four classrooms under 60m² including

no class store rooms No Nursery and Reception classroom

provision including change and WC facility


Car park too small

Circulation, i.e corridors are undersized


Excessive soft play/social areas

No hard games court

Identified Maintenance Works The current backlog and list of identified maintenance works equates to a total of £52,074.00.



Existing G.F Plan (N.T.S)




Rear Hard Play Area Sport Pitch



3.3 SITE (C) – YSGOL RHOS HELYG, RHOSESMOR The site lies to the south of the village of Rhos Helyg and has good north and easterly views. The site has long walking distances from the village. Access

for vehicles and pedestrians into the site from the highway in both directions is visually good but is over common land. A car park exists along the side

of the school and is used as a drop off point, however, the location is also on common land and not owned by Flintshire County Council. From a legal

search, the access and car park is on land owned by the Duke of Westminster Estate.

The site area is generous for the current pupil intake and the initial survey and analysis suggest that there is potential for further development.

The building envelope and its interior has a Grade 2 listed status.

Road access and visibility are considered to be good

A school pupil drop-off point/layby is required

Site is remote from the village

There are three areas of car parking; Two are located on common land owned by Duke of Westminster Estate and one is on the school site

(Only 6 parking spaces provided on school site).

Area speed limit review – 40mph

Due to listing status, CADW will have to be consulted

The site is outside the local settlement area




Existing Accommodation

Site Area – 12,579m²

Net Site Area – 11,408.3m²

Gross Building Area – 1,170.7m²

Total Room Area – 1,025.2m²

Issues

Majority of the existing classrooms are

under 60m² No Nursery and Reception classroom

provision including change and WC facility


Car parking on common land too large

Car parking provision on school site too small


Excessive soft play & social areas

No pupil cloakroom facilities

Circulation, i.e corridors are undersized

Identified Maintenance Works The current backlog and list of identified maintenance works equates to a total of £212,703.00.






Habitat Area School Access on Common Land



4.0 OPTION APPRAISAL OF PROPOSED SITES 4.1 OPTION 1 – STATUS QUO 4.1.1 Site A – (1A) Brynford CP School (58FT + 8N) Brynford school premises and curriculum provision are in need of improvement to comply with BB99, Equality Act 2010 and The Education (School

Premises) Act 1999. With these deficiencies, many issues do not comply with current Building Regulations. The site area is generous and has good

external area provisions and some existing provisions are over prescribed i.e. soft play and social areas. Car parking is also over prescribed, but the

hard play games court is underprovided. A careful and considered feasibility design solution would address and rebalance this issue.

The following internal spaces are an example of the types of building accommodation that are required in order to meet the standards referred to above.

One additional classroom: 60m²

Main Hall: 39.3m²

Small group SEN: 15m²

PE Store: 4m²

Cloakrooms: 12m²

Kitchen: 18m²

ICT suite for 15 computers: 38m²

Food/Science, design technology: 24m²

Library resource: 21m²

Staff WC: 8m²

Store: 4m²

Circulation: 16.7m²

Separate secretary’s office: 8m²

Total Extension Required for Option – 260 m² (Please refer to site & floor plan drawings which indicate size and location of extension(s) required to bring the Brynford CP School up to standard)

External Spaces are required to be adapted to enable surplus pitches space to be given over to soft informal. Likewise, surplus hard informal play could

be given over to hard Games court. Generally the external space has surplus capacity which could be utilised for a new build extension encompassing

the spaces given above.



Site & Building Analysis Compared BB99 From the survey exercise we can see that when compared against current government guidelines from the Department for Education, that Brynford CP School is undersized with regard to the existing building area & school accommodation. However, in relation to the size of the total site area, we can see that there is a large surplus area amount.



Site Plan as Proposed (N.T.S) Existing & Proposed Floor Plans (N.T.S)



4.1.2 Site B – (1B) Lixwm CP School (71FT + 10N) Lixwm CP School premises and curriculum provision are in need of improvement to comply BB99, Equality Act 2010 and The Education (School

Premises) Act 1999. With these deficiencies, many issues do not comply with current Building Regulations. The site area is generous, including good

external area provisions and most facilities are over prescribed (i.e soft play and social areas). Car parking is poor and a Hard Games Court area is not

provided. A careful and considered feasibility design solution would address and rebalance this issue.

The school’s internal space and types of building accommodation are required to be increased, so that they can comply with the area requirements set

out in BB99. After carrying out a site & building analysis within chapter 3.2, it would appear that the existing building footprint might be adequate enough

to accommodate a large portion of the adaptation required to bring it up to current standards. However, due to the existing size/setting out of the rooms,

a small extension will be required.

Two additional classrooms to accommodate Nursery & reception provision (60m²): 120m²

Storage: 8m²

Extended Cloak Area: 4m²

Circulation 12m²

Total Extension Required for Option – 144 m²

Building Accommodation Included within Internal Remodelling

Food / Science / D&T: 24.0m²

ICT Suite: 38.0m²

Small Group Room (SENco): 12.0m²

Heads Office / Meeting Room: 10.0m²

Staff Room considerably undersize: 11.5m²

Copier / Reprographics: 12.0m²

PE Store (adjacent to Hall) considerably undersize: 11.0m²

Dining Chair / Table Storage: 8.0m²

Community Store: 4.0m²

Accessible Toilets / Hygiene Facilities: 3.4m²



Site & Building Analysis Compared BB99 From the survey exercise we can see that when compared against current government guidelines from the Department for Education, that Lixwm CP School total site area is oversized. However, with regard to the school’s building accommodation, we can see that it is slightly undersized in a number of facilities/spaces.



Site Plan as Proposed (N.T.S)

G.F Plan as Proposed (N.T.S)

External Accommodation External facilities are required to be adapted to

enable surplus soft informal space to be given over

to pitches. Likewise, surplus hard informal play could

be given over to hard games court.

Issues

Location of school is problematic with narrow

unclassified road.

Parent’s parking extends onto adjacent

highway due to existing car parking area

being too small.

There is no potential for additional parking on

site.

Planning consent for the extension needs

consideration. The new adaptation/extension

to the school would need to be positioned on

the hard informal play area.

Circulation, i.e corridors are undersized.

Excessive soft play and social areas

No Hard Games Court.



4.1.3 Site C – (1C) Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor (168FT + 17N) Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor premises and curriculum provision are in need of improvement to comply with BB99, Equality Act 2010 and The Education

(School Premises) Act 1999. With these deficiencies, many issues do not comply with current Building Regulations The site area is generous and has

good external area provisions which in terms of BB99 is over subscribed. A hard games court is required and can be accommodated with ease. Car

parking is located on common ground and further enquiries need to be undertaken with the Duke of Westminster Estate to establish if this provision can

continue. If this proves unfruitful then the car parking provision is required to be located within the Education owned land.

The school internal spaces/accommodation requires to increase in excess of 7% of the existing accommodation. The school’s internal space and types

of building accommodation are required to be increased, so that they can comply with the area requirements set out in BB99.

Two additional classrooms to accommodate Nursery & reception provision (60 m²): 120m²

Storage: 8.5m²

Library Resource: 26m²

Circulation 16m²

Total Extension Required for Option – 170.5m²

Building Accommodation Included within Internal Remodelling

Food/Science, Design Technology: 24m²


Staff Room: 15.9m²

Small Group Room (SENco): 12m²

SEN Therapy / MI Room: 12m²

Interview & Social Services: 8m²

Central Stock Store: 6m²

Reception Toilet: 8m²

Accessible toilets / Hygiene Facilities: 5.5m²



Site & Building Analysis Compared BB99 From the survey exercise we can see when compared against current government guidelines from the Department for Education, the total site area for the existing Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor is oversized. However, with regard to the size of the existing school including the building accommodation within, we can see that it is slightly undersized in a number of facilities/spaces.




Proposed Building Extension Pupil projections are peaking this year with a small

decline over the next 4 years of around 10% of

current pupil intake.

Generally the external area has surplus capacity

which could be utilised for a new extension,

encompassing the spaces required to bring the

existing school up to BB99’s minimum benchmarks.

Due to the school building being Grade 2 Listed, the

adaptation and accommodation improvements will

need to be carefully designed and located in a new

standalone building with a ‘glass link’ along with

careful planning in the re-using of spaces within the

existing listed building.

Total Extension Required for Option – 170.5m²



4.2 OPTION 2 – AREA SCHOOL ON ONE SITE4.2.1 Site A - (2A) Brynford CP School

4.2.1.1: (2A1) Extension

Proposed Building Extension (Option 2A1) The existing Brynford site is not considered suitable

for this option. With an existing site area of

9,796.1m², a new 270 place + 30 nursery Area

School requires a minimum site area of 12,630m²

(Net site area - 10,940m² + Gross Building area -

1,690m²). However, for the purpose of this report, it

is important to note that if the adjoining vacant site

owned by Flintshire County Council was taken into

consideration, a new area school could be

accommodated.

Brynford CP School Site Area: 9,796.1m²

Vacant Land Site Area: 20,220.9m²

Total Site Area Available - 30,017m²

The existing school will require a large building

extension to enable the new Area School/ internal

building accommodation to be fully compliant in

accordance with BB99’s benchmarks. Based on the

proposed pupil & nursery places for this option, the

total extension required to bring it up to standard will

be 1,348m².

Total Extension Required for Option – 1,348m²



4.2.1 Site A - (2A) Brynford CP School

4.2.1.2: (2A2) New Build


Proposed New Build (Option 2A2)

Brynford CP School Site Area: 9,796.1m²

Vacant Land Site Area: 20,220.9m²

Total Site Area Available - 30,017m²

Min. Site Area (BB99) - 12,630m²

Min. Gross Building Area (BB99) - 1,690m²

OS Map as Existing



4.2.2 Site B – (2B) Lixwm CP School

Working in accordance with current government guidelines, the Building Bulletin 99 benchmarks establish that the existing Lixwm site is not considered

suitable for this option. With an existing site area of 6,205.4m² a new 270 place + 30 nursery Area School requires a minimum site area of 12,630m²

(Net site area - 10,940m² + Gross Building area - 1,690m²), therefore, this option is not achievable on this site



4.2.3 Site C – (2C) Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor

Proposed Building Extension When compared to Building Bulletin 99, the current

government guidelines/benchmarks confirm that

the existing site area for Ysgol Rhos Helyg,

Rhosesmor slightly falls short, in relation to being

able to accommodate an Area School for all three

schools. With an existing site area of 12,579m² and

gross building area of 1,170.7 m², a new 270 place

+ 30 nursery Area School requires a minimum site

area of 12,630m² (Net site area - 10,940m² + Gross

Building Area - 1,690m²).

Total Extension Required for Option – 520m²



4.3 OPTION 3 – RETAIN YSGOL RHOS HELYG, RHOSESMOR & ONE AREA SCHOOL ON BRYNFORD OR LIXWM CP SITE4.3.1 Site A – (3A) Brynford CP School

Brynford has the potential to become an Area School and accommodate Lixwm CP on the same site but requires careful design considerations to enable

the existing school to function during new build works. With an existing site area of 9,796.1m² and a gross building area of 400.9m², an amalgamated

150 place + 20 nursery Area School requires a minimum site area of 8,105m² and a gross building area of 1,105m². Therefore, the existing site has

plenty of available room to adapt and expand.

4.3.1.1: (3A1) Extension Option

The following internal spaces are an example of the types of building accommodation that are required in order to meet the standards referred to above.

Three additional classrooms (60 m²): 180m²

Main Hall: 70m²

Small group SEN: 15m²

Kitchen: 25m²

Library & Learning resource areas: 41.5m²

Cloakrooms: 24m²


Storage: 82.5m²

Staff & Admin: 52 m²

Pupil WC: 20m²

Circulation: 30m²

Food/Science, design technology: 24m²

Staff WC: 8m² Total Extension Required for Option – 610 m²




Proposed Building Extension (Option 3A1) Due to the positioning of the school, similar to the proposal indicated within option 1A of this report, option 3A will propose to increase the building’s footprint in the same way. However, the majority of the added building accommodation will be located within the new extension connected on the existing south facing elevation (as indicated on plan). The external facilities will have to be repositioned and adapted to accommodate the increased pupil numbers. As the existing school site area is large and also has the added ability to expand even further, by consolidating the adjacent land owned by FCC, the required adaptation for this option will have little impact in connection to achieving the external area benchmarks set out within BB99. Total Extension Required for Option – 610 m²



4.3.1.2: (3A2) New Build


Proposed New Build (Option 3A2) Total New Build Required for Option – 1,105 m²



4.3.2 Site B – (3B) Lixwm CP School

Similar to section 4.2.2, Option 2B, the existing Lixwm CP School site is not considered suitable for this option. With an existing site area of 6,205.4m²,

an amalgamated 150 place + 20 nursery Area School requires a minimum site area of 8,105m², therefore, this option is not achievable on this site.



5.0 ESTIMATED BUILD COSTS

5.1 COST SUMMARY



6.0 OPTION EVALUATION

6.1 OPTION SUMMARY

Option 1 – Status Quo:

Generally, all three of the school sites have the capacity to improve their existing facilities to meet BB99’s minimum benchmark standards. In terms of

Planning Consent, the Lixwm CP site would need further consideration due to the restricted area for a new development and Ysgol Rhos Helyg,

Rhosesmor would need very careful consideration in designing a suitable proposal due to the existing building being Grade 2 listed.

Option 2 – Area School on One Site:

If the Brynford CP School utilised the adjoining Flintshire County Council owned land located on the eastern boundary, this would allow the new site area

the ability and capacity to accommodate both Lixwm CP and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor. Also, Planning Consent would be achievable for an Area

school on the Brynford CP site.

The Lixwm CP School however, does not have the capacity to accommodate an Area School due to the size of the existing site, nor does it benefit from

further development as part of the site is outside the settlement area.

The existing Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor site is undersized when compared to BB99’s minimum benchmark standards for the proposed pupil numbers.

Even though this shortfall is only by a small margin, the existing school could still be sympathetically remodelled and a ‘standalone’ building extension

could be proposed to accommodate the amalgamation. However, it is important to note that any future growth would be extremely restricted and the

potential to future proof the new Area School would not be possible.

Option 3 – Retain Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor and One Area School on the Brynford CP or Lixwm CP School Site:

The Brynford CP site has already established that it can accommodate an Area School for all three schools when consolidating the adjacent land owned

by Flintshire County Council. However, with regard to meeting the aspirations for Option 3, this can be achieved within the parameters and area of the

existing school site. This can be accommodated either in the way of an extension or via a new build development.

There is insufficient area to accommodate more than one school on the existing Lixwm CP site. As careful design consideration would also be required,

so that Planning Consent could be obtained, the ability to accommodate a proposed amalgamation on the Lixwm CP site might not be achievable.

Therefore, the only site that can fully fulfil this option, is the Brynford CP site.



6.2 EVALUATION PROCESS

To allow a comparison of the proposed options, an appraisal matrix was developed by Flintshire County Council, Design Consultancy. This matrix

defined a wide range of evaluation criteria in order to score the options on a comparable basis.

Each option was scored against all of the criteria using values between 1 and 5 to provide a thorough site, design and technical analysis. The Matrix

included sections covering evaluation criteria on the following:

Compliance with School Regulations: Health, safety & welfare / Teaching facilities / Lighting / Acoustics / Fire Safety

Energy Efficiency & Utilities Availability: Existing services available / Renewable technologies

DDA Requirements: Access & circulation / Building accommodation / Parking / Site accommodation

Affordability: Site value & costs / Displacement costs / Site preparation / Build Costs / Capital revenue / Capital receipt & surplus land value.

Site Location: Accessibility / Traffic circulation & good road infrastructure / Position to serve catchment area

Relationship to Wider Area / Community: Community setting / Social impact on local residents

Building Bulletin Compliance: Does it meet area guidelines & accommodation set within BB99 / Site capacity?

Development Potential & Planning Constraints: Likelihood of securing planning consent / Restrictions on development / Restrictions

imposed by presence of mature trees, protected species or archaeology

Welsh Government Business Case Criteria: Aspiration of 21st Century Schools requirements

Flood Risk & Ground Contamination: Proximity to Water Courses / Risk of Contamination

Site Characteristics & Ground Conditions: Ecology / Topography / Level of site / Crossing of services /

Site restraints Implementation of Design Standardisation: Classroom layout / Design fluidity / Adaptability to expand

Phasing & Construction Complexity: Programme / Access / Site capacity & circulation during construction / Health & safety / Impact on local

area, residents & schools

Sustainability: Environmental impact / Design & construction approach

Future Flexibility & Expansion: Ability to expand / Site capacity



6.3 APPRAISAL MATRIX SUMMARY



6.4 STRENGTHS, WEAKNESES & EVALUATION SUMMARY Further to carrying out the appraisal matrix on the proposed option sites, we can see from this exercise the strengths, weaknesses, risks and opportunities

involved. Although each proposal option includes a similarity, the findings clearly indicate that the proposed options and sites considered are also notably

very different.

Option 1: Status Quo: Score 39 With all three sites within the option proposing to retain the existing school building, as well as providing some form of an extension to improve the school’s compliance in accordance with BB99, due to the percentage of what is being left as existing/inherited as part of the overall scheme (existing layouts & room sizes etc), this would mean that a large element of the school building would still not be fully compliant. Therefore, this scored the option low in connection to compliance of school regulations, building bulletin, energy efficiency, DDA requirements & implementation of design standardisation. As the construction of the new development would be running during a live school site and temporary accommodation would need to be considered, a low score was also issued for phasing & construction complexity due to the risks involved. With a total cost of £4.04m, including capital revenue and running costs, this seemed quite high when compared against options 2 & 3.

Option 2 – Area School on One Site: Score 61

The option scored very well with the Welsh Government business case criteria, building bulletin compliance, school and DDA regulations as the majority of the school’s building accommodation would be situated in either a new build development or an extension. Generally, a lot of high/middle scores were issued in the remaining matrix categories due to the number of ‘slight improvements’ and ‘neither agree nor disagree’ marks with the proposal of a new Area School (ie. New build option, site location and its relationship to a wider area/community). The only low score that was issued for the option was in relation to affordability. Even though a capital receipt could be provided for the Lixwm CP site, the cost of the new Area School provided a negative impact, as well as the risks attached to the capital receipt of the Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor site (possibility of the existing building on site becoming obsolete as the listed status could impact on what the school could be converted into).

Option 3 – Retain Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor & One Area School on Brynford CP or Lixwm CP School Site: Score 56

The option scored well with the majority of the matrix categories, which was primarily due to the overall affordability and feasibility of retaining/improving the listed Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor and providing an Area School on the Brynford CP site (ie. Site location and relationship to wider area/community scored higher). In terms of affordability, as the proposed option included a capital receipt for the Lixwm CP site and retained the majority of the existing internal and external facilities on the Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor & Brynford CP sites, the overall cost seemed very reasonable in comparison to the other options. With regard to the categories relating to building bulletin compliance, school and DDA regulations, a high score was also provided due to the extents of the building accommodation that would be positioned within the new development/adaptation. However, it did not receive a maximum score as this was only applicable with the new Area School and not for the Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor. With the majority of the internal facilities/accommodation still being positioned within the existing Grade 2 Listed building, this therefore, reduced the overall average total for the category due to the designed improvements of the Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor having restrictions connected with any proposed internal remodelling.



7.0 CONCLUSION

7.1 PREFERRED OPTION & RECOMMENDATION After reflecting on the results and justification statements within section 6.4, the report can confirm that proposing a new Area School on the Brynford

CP School site is the most favourable, suitable and feasible option. The findings establish that it is more efficient and compliant to amalgamate the

Brynford CP, Lixwm CP and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor. As the Lixwm CP and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor sites demonstrated within the report

that they were unable to accommodate an Area School due to size, if the Brynford CP site utilised/consolidated the adjacent land owned by Flintshire

County Council, it would offer both the capacity and the ability to expand at a later date, therefore, ensuring that any proposal being put forward could

be future-proofed. However, this idea of future-proofing the new Area School would need to be incorporated and carefully considered during the early

design stages.

It is the report’s recommendation that another feasibility investigation and Matrix scoring exercise is carried out, however, this would just be on whether

the proposed option of an Area School on the Brynford CP site should be via an extension or a new build development, as this will provide a clear view

of which is the best one to pursue. If an agreed weighting was allocated to each of the Matrix scoring categories (rated and prioritised by importance),

this may be an appropriate tool to help aid the decision and determine which to propose, as both appear equally very strong.