A school has been given planning permission to fence off its playing field despite community concerns about a loss of open green space.
Varndean School, in Balfour Road, Brighton, said that the mesh fence – some 550 yards or 500 metres long and 10ft or 3m high – would create a “clearly defined and secure boundary”.
A report said that 37 people wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council to object to the proposal compared with six letters or comments in support.
Objectors’ cited included loss of green space and loss of access to the school’s 3G pitch, the design and height of the fence, public health concerns and land ownership.
The council’s Planning Committee was told that the council is the freeholder and that other local schools such as Dorothy Stringer and Blatchington Mill had been given permission for similar fences.
When the committee met at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Wednesday 5 August), seven councillors voted in favour of the fence. Green councillor Sue Shanks voted against and Conservative councillor Ivan Lyons abstained.
Councillor Shanks said that people in the area wanted to use the land outside of school hours as they had done for years.
There was no information to suggest that anything had happened to give rise to the need for a fence.
She said: “I don’t see why we need to have (this). You can see through it but fences are fences. It’s really high. If people want to get over it, they’ll get over it anyway.”
Councillor Lyons said that neither the school nor any of the objectors attended the meeting to answer questions about why the fence might be needed or not.
He said: “What’s the reasons for it now? Has there been any particular problems there at the school in regard to safeguarding of late to bring the application forward at this time? No. That information is not out there.”
Green councillor Kerry Pickett said: “I went to school many moons ago and we didn’t have any fencing at all but now things have changed and it’s a safeguarding issue.
“It’s really sad that we have to put these huge fences around children but I’m going to vote for it.”
Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Mark Earthey said: “This is a statutory requirement for safeguarding.
“No matter how unreasonable we think that is compared with the days of our youth, I think we have to vote for it unless there’s any clear reason not to.”
Labour councillor Tobias Sheard said: “The perceived threats, whether they be protection internally or threats externally to the school, whatever they may be, have reached a point where this needs to be done.
“It’s such a shame that the fencing looks so industrial. It looks very ‘in your face’. It doesn’t really feel like a natural fence to put around a green space.”
When work starts, the fencing is expected to be up in about eight weeks. No start was given to the committee.
To protect the kids from the boat people as a city of sanctuary they sure are scared about who they are importing
The irony, a bunch of pearl clutching leftist in a sanctuary city, demanding borders and high fences around them to control who comes on to their property for their safety and security.
The same reason we need secure borders
What a ridiculous thing to say. It’s absolutely right that schools should be afforded preventative protection to ensure its students are safe. That shouldn’t need spelling out. Aesthetically, climbing plants love fences – they use them as trellis and does wonders for biodiversity.
Ridiculous unrelated comments from sad people. Its a school fence.
> “It’s such a shame that the fencing looks so industrial. It looks very ‘in your face’. It doesn’t really feel like a natural fence to put around a green space.”
Simple, plant a native hedge along the outside of the fence. Would be epic
You can’t have open borders and open school playing fields. Life is about choices, folks.
If there is no good reason to put a fence around the school then why put it ? If there is a need for a barrier , then state the reason why and why not just shrubs or a hedge ? Much better environmentally and better to look at.
Ironically that our borders are open but we need to fence our schools, again why ?
There is no requirment, just wasting money like always
Playground Standards: General playground safety standards (like BS EN 1176) recommend minimum barriers where specific safety risks exist, though they do not universally enforce a full perimeter fence for every layout.
As said nothing has changed ie no danger reported etc
BS EN 1176 only applies if there is play equipment; generally open fields are out of scope, and you’d be looking at primary legalisation to make those sort of arguments, which will typically direct us towards duty of care clauses and the schools responsibilities under law.
An alternative solution to the fence would be for the councillor and all local residents who objected to simply volunteer every lunch to clear up the dog 💩 that is kindly left on the sport pitches every day for the staff and students to clear up or avoid…
Ps I will miss the sledging on those hills 🛷
The only real issue I see is that it cuts the green space for children in the school in half. Year 7 and 8 play area is currently on the outside of that fence. Due to the path that they need to keep open, it looks like all 1200 students will now be stuck in the fenced in area. This seems like a real shame.
Look at the diagram.
There are at 5 gates that give access to the inner area and of those 2 (to the left of the diagram) to the extended area
What a shame, as a local resident we are lucky to have so much green space in the area I do associate summer nights walking through stringer way with hearing the fence ringing from the local kids playing football on the artificial pitch.
I have to disagree with an earlier poster , I’m up there quite a lot. A don’t see a lot of dog mess. I do see a lot of discarded drink cartons (Radnor branded so I’m assuming they are from the school) strangely they seem to be supplemented my cartons for water recently. I do my best to pick these up and take them to the recycling as I know other local residents.
I appreciate that not all dog owners are continuous but before we start pointing fingers at all owners I’d like to point out the large number of foxes there are living around the field.
I get the safeguarding aspect, Balfour infants and stringer did something similar recently but that wasn’t as intrusive as this feels it’s going to be.
For those who haven’t been up there, have a quick trip there one of there summer evenings and look to the south at the sea view and tell me that’s not a loss to the community.
As I say I understand the legal ramifications it just feels like an irreversible change that’s being put in place without any local context. No criticism of the school or the council is implied or intended.
The area is already meant to be a dog free zone, as the sign on the fields say right now (and has done for the past 30 years):
Brighton & Hove City Council
S.547 Education Act 1996,
Causing or permitting nuisance or
disturbance in this school and its playing field is a criminal offence. Where appropriate offenders will be prosecuted.
No Dogs.
David Hawker
Director of Children’s Services
Unfortunately many of the local dog owners do not appear to be taking note of Mr Hawker – nor routinely cleaning up their dog mess.
For that reason and a number of safeguarding reasons noted in other comments, the fence is the only option left to the school. Please enjoy the views from the non fenced areas and retained rights of way.
Just a waste of Money the Council reckon they don’t have.
School Budgets are cut from Government-who’s paying for this-BHCC
The school are paying using reserves they have saved up over a number of years to address a safeguarding matter. All in the minutes of the governing body which are available on the school website.
Whilst I understand the need to safeguard children I do not feel it necessary to put such a huge fence in order to do this. As residents backing up to the new fence I think it will feel like living next to a prison rather than the open and beautiful space it currently is.
I have lived in the area for 30 years and my children went to school there starting from Balfour. We used the green open space outside of school hours all the time. I think it’s a great shame this space is to be closed off to recreational use, and the prison style green metal fencing will be an eyesore for a peaceful area. Complete madness and a terrible waste of public funds.