Leigh Academy Rainham

Planning permission was secured for the erection of a new six form entry secondary school for a maximum 1,150 pupils (including sixth form students) and 120 staff.

Lichfields provided planning advice and support throughout the promotion of the project through the Development Management process. Lichfields successfully managed the client team’s delivery of full planning permission for the School within a tight timescale, linked to the funding of the project. We also provided heritage advice and assessment work. Lichfields led and coordinated the pre-app and planning application submissions and activity, preparing the Planning Statement (including educational need and site selection) and Heritage Impact Assessment (assessing the proposal’s effect on the setting and significance of two nearby listed buildings and a Conservation Area).

We established a positive and collaborative working relationship with the various planning, design, transport and other officers of Medway Council, managed the team’s negotiations with them on design, transport planning, the school and dual use operations and mitigation measures, as well as addressing consultee responses. These
included minimising impact of the proposal on the setting of the nearby listed buildings, preserving and enhancing the urban to rural transition of the site and managing
the potential impact of the development on future highway capacity.