This chapter sets out the District Council's policies for education, health and community facilities within the district. Firstly, the background, problems and issues are considered, the policy context is explained, and the Local Plan's strategy is outlined.  Then the Council's policies are detailed in sections on facilities for education; health; the community; and social conditions.

An essential requirement of any well planned area is the provision of a full range of education, health and community facilities, conveniently located to serve the needs of the resident population.  There is a wide range and distribution of services within the district.  The Local Plan provides an enabling role by ensuring that land and/or buildings are available to accommodate new or replacement facilities required during the plan period. 

Most community facilities are provided by agencies other than the District Council.  Nottinghamshire County Council, for example, is responsible for education and libraries, with the Area Health Authority in charge of health facilities.  However, the District Council has a role to play and the Local Plan will identify and safeguard the schemes contained in those Authorities' current forward plans.  The District Council will seek to ensure that the district is adequately served by community facilities.

Central Government Advice

PPG12 "Development Plans and Regional Planning Guidance" states that local planning authorities should consider the relationship of planning policies and proposals to social needs and problems, including their likely impact on different groups in the population, such as ethnic minorities, religious groups, elderly and disabled people, single parent families and students.  Plans should also make provision for land for schools and higher education, for places of worship and other community facilities.

Nottinghamshire Structure Plan Review

The aims of the Local Plan will be achieved through the implementation of the following objectives:

• to ensure there is a good distribution of educational and health facilities throughout the District;
• to encourage facilities for pre-school child care facilities;
• to encourage the provision of elderly persons' homes within built-up areas; and
• to resist the loss of community and social facilities.

Provision of Educational Facilities

The County Council has examined the future provision of secondary schools in the Newark area. In the near future two secondary schools, Sconce Hills and Magdalene, will close.  Two new secondary schools will be established on the sites of the present Thomas Magnus and Lilley and Stone schools.

Nottinghamshire County Council currently holds a site for a new school at Beacon Heights, Newark, although no scheme for the site is formally programmed.  A new primary school will be required at the proposed new community at Balderton Hospital.  In order to ensure that there is a good distribution of facilities throughout the District, these sites will be reserved for educational purposes.

Rest of District

At the present time, Nottinghamshire County Council has no plans to change its existing pattern of education provision in the rest of the district. The County Council constantly monitors the Education Service and proposes to continue to make provision, at the appropriate level, in future years.  The District Council will take into account the existing levels of provision and the likely future need for education facilities in considering proposals for new development.

Newark and Sherwood College

Newark and Sherwood College is an important community resource.  Should the College wish to expand on its existing site in the future, the District Council will look favourably upon development proposals, subject to site factors and design considerations.

Brackenhurst College

The increase in mothers working full time in recent years has resulted in a demand for pre-school childcare facilities, including playgrounds and nursery schools.  The District Council wishes to encourage the provision of adequate facilities in appropriate locations.

The majority of proposals submitted for planning permission involve the conversion of existing dwellings, rather than the construction of new buildings. These facilities are generally located within residential areas. However, they can be un-neighbourly due to the generation of noise and disturbance arising from their operation.  This makes certain types of premises unsuitable for conversion, such as terraced houses.  It is suggested that large detached properties are the most suitable for conversion, as they generally have more land.  Childcare facilities on busy roads will not normally be acceptable, because of the potential road safety problems.

Newark and Southern Areas - Acute Services

The site at Bowbridge Road is located adjacent to the existing Hawtonville Hospital, and provides the most suitable location for any future development of hospital or other healthcare uses within Newark.  The site is currently available for redevelopment purposes. Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust are proposing to relocate the Deincourt Mental Health Day Hospital and associated services onto part of this site.

Western Area - Acute Services

Acute services for the Western area are now provided in Mansfield/Ashfield. A reasonably full range of services is provided.

In the late 1980s, the Health Authority were actively looking for a site, in the Western area, for the construction of a community hospital.  The Dukeries Community Hospital would provide in-patient accommodation and out-patient services for the locality.  At that time a suitable site could not be agreed and the Health Authority decided not to progress the scheme.  The Central Notts Community Health Council has been campaigning for the Health Authority to construct a new facility in the area.  The District Council support the provision of a community hospital and will seek to identify a suitable site.

Community Health Centres

The Health Authority also intend to construct a new community health centre in Bilsthorpe in an effort to improve the services available.  The District Council will encourage the early implementation of this scheme and will safeguard the site from alternative development.

Mental Health Services

Within the district it is proposed to develop a mental health service based on the support of people in their own homes, the provision of day care, the minimising of in-patient care and the provision of residential and non-residential facilities as locally as possible. 

Mental Handicap Service

Mental handicap services are in a state of transition from institution based care to localised community based services.  Those people needing continuing residential care will be housed in small domestic style units cared for by NHS staff.  The construction of these units enables more patients to be relocated and returned to normal life in the community.

Nursing homes and elderly persons' homes should be located within built-up areas.  Elderly persons' homes should be located close to shops and other community facilities required by the occupants, and should be easily accessible to visitors, staff and servicing traffic. In considering applications for new development or the change of use of existing dwellings, the District Council will take into account the likely effect on the character of the area and on neighbouring properties, in terms of noise and visual amenity.  

Provision of Community Facilities

The District Council is anxious to maintain and improve the existing community facilities available in the district.  There have been increasing pressures in recent years for the redevelopment of valuable community facilities.  The District Council will seek to resist the loss of services which help to sustain the vitality of local communities.  In villages, shops, post offices and pubs make an important contribution to the social and economic life of the community, and therefore the District Council will seek to resist the loss of these services.

Community Centres and Village Halls

The District Council has constructed a new community centre in Blidworth and a replacement community centre at Harvey Avenue, Coddington.  There is also a need for a community centre in the Beacon Hill area of Newark, particularly when other housing areas are completed, and at the new village at the Balderton Hospital site.  The village halls are generally provided by charitable trusts and managed by voluntary committees, often with grant aid from the District Council. The Authority will normally look favourably on proposals for new village halls.  Any such proposal will be assessed in the light of policy R1.

In 1994 Nottinghamshire County Council produced "Social Need in Nottinghamshire: County Disadvantaged Area Study".  The purpose of the study is to identify those areas of the County in which a large proportion of people are experiencing social need.  Both the County Council and the District Council will take account of the study's findings in the determination of priorities for service provision.