Property company Square Bay is holding a public exhibition and consultation over plans to build 150 properties at the former Royal School for the Deaf in Margate.
The company completed a purchase of the 14 acre site from Kent County Council in February.
KCC put the site up for sale last year with ‘positive’ pre-application plans to build 185 houses.
The authority had previously paid £6.8m (exclusive of VAT) for the land in 2020.
Most of the school buildings have been demolished although buildings remaining at the time of sale included the former cricket pavilion and swimming pool with adjoining garages, a timber shed, two, 2-storey dwellings and the hydrotherapy centre.
The Blue Wave hydrotherapy centre is not part of the development plan.
Square Bay says its plans are “designed to be sympathetic to the surrounding areas and residential streets.
“The existing brick walls and trees along the Victoria Road edge will be retained, acting as a buffer between the site and Margate Conservation Area,
“The current design accommodates approximately 150 new homes,
“The scheme has been deliberately designed to create green spaces and wider roads.
“An element of affordable housing will be included in the design.”
Exhibition boards say there is potential for a community building, that TPO trees will be retained, a retaining wall at the site will be restored and there will be a pond for biodiversity and surface water run-off management.
A draft timeline shows the public exhibition taking place at St John the Baptist community centre, Victoria Road, on June 25th from 2.30pm to 7pm.
In July any amendments to the plans will be made in response to the public consultation and an outline planning application will be submitted to Thanet council in August/September.
From closure to proposed development
The school was shut down suddenly in December 2015 after The John Townsend Trust, which ran it, went into administration.
The distressing closure of the school and Westgate College resulted in some 500 job losses and scores of children left without a specialist school placement.
The land had been earmarked for a new secondary school but in December 2021 this proposal was ditched for a second time by KCC following discussions with the Department for Education over the forecast of reduced pupil numbers in the district.
In 2022 the site was put forward by KCC for a potential 200 home development as part of Thanet council’s Local Plan review.
An update to the Thanet Local Plan – a blueprint for housing, business and infrastructure on the isle –was due to be extended to cover the period to 2040 – and included the need for land/sites to accommodate an additional 4,000-4,500 dwellings.
When putting the site forward, KCC said: “Given the site is no longer being brought forwards for education use other development options are now being considered. Given the highly sustainable nature of the site within the urban area of Margate, residential development would appear logical.”
For further details go to: https://www.landatvictoriaroadconsultation.co.uk/
Stated on this site ,when the deaf school closed ,houses would be built on the site . KCC only bought the site to resell the site at a profit,never had intention for a new school
So planning permission not given for much needed school, but suddenly more houses can be built!! Where are all the children from these 150 new houses going to go to school? Unless it’s a retirement village. Then how will hospital cope or Drs and dentists. You can’t drive around Thanet as it is. I’m sure they make the objection process difficult too so you don’t object.