It would mean more people could enjoy the pool
A private school in Kent with a “high quality” swimming facility wants to open it up for wider use by the public and other schools. Bethany School near Goudhurst, a village in west Kent, has started the process with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
This could mean more recreational swimming, swimming lessons and use by clubs, said the application. The school, in the hamlet Curtisden Green, has applied to alter some of the planning conditions laid out when permission was granted in 2014 to build the indoor pool.
This would mean more people could enjoy the pool and, also, there would be more hours during which people from outside Bethany School could use it. In 2017, planning conditions were varied to allow hyper-local residents, primary schools and community groups to use the pool, but many restrictions were imposed by the council, such as times and days of use; numbers of people; and only those living within one mile of the school could use it.
The council said the restrictions were in the interests of “residential amenity and highway safety”. But Bethany School, off Jarvis Lane, a long-established independent boarding and day school for girls and boys, years 7 to 11 and a sixth form, wants more people to use its 25m long pool, with six lanes and changing rooms.
The school is just more than 12 miles from Tunbridge Wells and 15 miles from Tonbridge. The proposed hours for “non-school use” would be: Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 9pm; Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, 9am to 5pm.
“The proposal seeks to allow wider, managed community access to the pool, including access by local schools, clubs, and residents, outside of the school’s own use, while maintaining controls to protect residential amenity, highway safety, and the surrounding environment,” said DHA on behalf of the school. And along with the pool application, there is one for the wider use of the performing arts centre at Bethany School, which is set in 60 acres of grounds.
DHA said both proposals were “coordinated to maximise community benefit while safeguarding residential amenity and highway safety”. DHA said the school had a “high quality swimming facility” which was underutilised outside of school hours due to the restrictions imposed by the planning conditions.
It said evidence showed further swimming pool provision in the borough of Tunbridge Wells was needed “due to population growth”. A pool management plan would have “robust operational controls” such as scheduled hours, mandatory pre-booking, strict group size limits, qualified supervision and “proactive transport management”.
DHA said these measures would ensure use was safe, orderly and was compatible with the residential aspect of the wider area and highway safety.
Summary of the changes the school has applied for:
- Pool use by those from outside of the school, from 6.30am to 8.30am, and 6pm to 9pm, Monday to Friday: and 6.30am to 9pm on Saturday and Sundays during school term time. Between the hours of 6.30am and 9pm, Monday to Sunday and Public Holidays during school holidays.
- No more than 15 community groups or organisations to use the pool per week.
- The swimming pool may be used by the general public without geographical restriction.
The report talks about the financial pressures facing independent schools such as Bethany. It said: “The school’s ability to continue providing high-quality education and facilities is increasingly challenged by a combination of external economic factors.”
These include VAT on fees; employer National Insurance increases; loss of business rates relief; and inflationary pressures, said DHA. “These factors mean that non-fee income – such as revenue generated from the controlled letting of the swimming pool to external users – has become an essential part of maintaining the school’s financial sustainability.
“By enabling wider non-school use of the pool, the school can generate much-needed additional income to offset these rising costs, helping to ensure the continued provision of educational and community facilities for the benefit of both pupils and the wider public,” it said. DHA quotes an excerpt from a report commissioned by Sport England and the council, dated March 2022.
The report was to help the council with planning for leisure during the next five to 10 years. It said: “There is a need for additional sports hall and swimming pool provision due to population growth.
“The additional demand will be focused in the north of the borough where there are 6,935 new homes being built to 2038.” And of pool provision, the report says: “The priority is to ensure good quality, pay and play accessible water space, provided in smaller scale pools, across the borough to facilitate increased participation in physical activity.”
Sport England says nearly 40 per cent of sporting facilities in England are on school sites, with 6 per cent of these facilities currently accessible to the wider community.
The key existing indoor swimming facilities in the borough are the following, said DHA:
- Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre – St John’s Road: Operated by Fusion Lifestyle, this centre provides three indoor pools including a 25m fitness pool, learner pool, and diving pit.
- Nuffield Health Gym – Knights Park: Features a 20m pool, toddler pool, sauna, steam room, and gym, with a family swim timetable.
- The Spa Hotel: A members-only health club offering a 10m pool.
- Natural Fit – Central Tunbridge Wells: Adults-only health club with a 17m pool.
DHA said the 109 parking spaces available for out-of-hours use of the pool and performing arts centre were well above minimum requirements, and parking surveys confirmed there was ample capacity, even during overlap periods.
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