A proposal to create 93 new homes on the site of Harrow House International School in Swanage has been submitted to Dorset Council, with 10 percent of the homes to be classed as affordable.
The outline planning permission application proposes to convert the Arts and Crafts school building into 14 flats, along with building 41 terraced houses and 38 apartments on the school grounds including the sports pitches.
Artist’s impression of the proposed 93 homes
Harrow House is on a hill and has far reaching views
Prominent landmark with countryside and sea views
Harrow House, reached via Walrond Road, is a prominent landmark, positioned on top of a hill, enjoying far reaching countryside and sea views across Swanage.
It was built in 1912 as Oldfield School and later became part of Swanage Grammar School. In 1979 when the grammar school closed, the five acre site was sold and it reopened as Harrow International School.
It housed around 500 live-in students and was a major source of employment for many years until it closed during the Covid pandemic in 2020.
The proposed building plans for the Harrow House site along with 141 parking spaces
The current plan of Harrow House showing the sports ground to the right
Earlier consultation images showed the homes as mock Georgian but after it was pointed out that Swanage is predominantly a late Victorian town, the images are now non descript
“High-quality, attractive, sensitive, new development”
In a statement accompanying the application, the planning consultants representing Harrow House said :
“Overall, the application proposals represent an opportunity to deliver a high-quality, attractive, sensitive, new development within Swanage providing housing, including affordable homes, new public open space and landscaping, alongside ecological enhancements to deliver biodiversity net gain.
“The development will have good connectivity to the heart of the town and all the facilities and amenities which the town has to offer.”
Back in 2020 when Harrow House closed, the famous bubble that housed the indoor sports facilities was deflated
Views from Harrow House over the sports ground, towards the sea and the Isle of Wight
“Major development within the AONB”
Dorset Council’s planning department was asked for pre application advice and in the letter written in 2022, the planning official concluded:
“While the site represents a potential development opportunity, this site is constrained by its existing lawful use as a school, and by the presence of outdoor sports facilities.
“The nature, scale and setting of the current proposal would represent major development within the AONB.
“It is unlikely that a planning balance exercise would fall in favour of the submitted scheme. A significant reduction in the quantum and scale of development proposed would be required.”
By law, no school playing fields may be built on unless it can be shown there is no longer a need due to a proven excess of nearby sports facilities.
The proposed SANG area for exercise and dog walking runs behind the Prospect Business Park and the Dorset Council tip
New SANG for Swanage
The Dorset Council officer also pointed out that the site is within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now known as National Landscapes) and near to Dorset’s protected heathlands.
In response to this, the applicant has also submitted a planning proposal to designate an area of land off Prospect Way in Swanage as a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace known as a SANG.
The area backs onto the Prospect Business Park and the Dorset Council tip.
This is intended to mitigate the increase of people living in the new homes from walking or exercising their dogs on nearby heathland like Studland, by offering an alternative green space.
The Harrow House International School closed in 2020 and was quickly acquired by building developers during the pandemic
10 percent affordable housing provision
In relation to affordable housing the planning statement said:
“The applicant has carefully considered the ability of the proposed development to deliver affordable housing as part of the scheme and has made every effort to do so.
“Both national and local policy, in addition to related guidance, allows for a reduction in the provision of affordable housing where a development would otherwise be rendered unviable.
“The submitted Financial Viability Assessment, prepared by Strut and Company Limited, accompanying this planning application demonstrates that a policy compliant level of affordable housing provision is not currently sufficiently viable.
“The applicant, therefore, proposes to secure 10 percent affordable housing provision of first home tenure resulting in nine affordable units as first home tenure.”
This means that although the newly adopted Purbeck Local Plan specifies that brownfield developments should include 30 percent affordable housing, the applicant believes that the costs of converting the main house and building the new homes will not deliver a large enough profit to make it worthwhile developing the site, if more affordable housing was included in the plan.
There is no mention of the Purbeck Local Plan stipulation that all new build properties must be only sold as primary residences and not second homes. This is a requirement that could be added as a condition of planning, if granted.
