Plans for a school ‘Hobbit House’ boasting a new library and computer room are set to get the go-ahead next week.
Greave Primary School, in Woodley, Stockport, submitted proposals for the Tolkeinesque facility after its old library was converted into a classroom to cope with rising pupil numbers. Reminiscent of Bilbo Baggins subterranean home, it would largely appear buried - with only two porthole windows and the front access door visible from the school path.
Part of the structure would protrude about 1.3 metres above ground, but the lie of the land means it would not be visible from Werneth Road. Papers submitted to the council describe the house as ‘an innovative, imaginative solution designed to enthuse and stimulate young minds’.
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“The site will provide valuable and appropriate facilities in connection with the existing school use for the school to create a new library and technology suite,” the document adds. "The structure is proposed to provide shelving for library books, seating and an audio-visual room for information technology education."
The design is said to have ‘a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability’, and boast a ‘guaranteed’ lifespan of 125 years. “Full cavity insulation means low running costs and the real grass roofs confer a huge range of benefits, including reduced heat loss, absorption of carbon dioxide, increased biodiversity and proven effects on human wellbeing too,”planning papers add.
The site covers 100 square metres, with the library and IT suite providing 40 square metres of internal floor space. But while the proposal may draw comparisons with the Lord of the Rings' idyllic 'Shire', it technically amounts to ‘inappropriate development in the green belt’.
This requires ‘very special circumstances’ to be proven before planning chiefs- who next meet to decide on applications on Thursday - can give the green light. However a council officer’s report says there would be ‘no significant encroachment’ into the countryside as the site is already occupied by the school ‘within an established envelope of existing development’.
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“It is considered that the proposal will have a very minor impact on the openness of the green belt but this will be outweighed by the enhancement to the level of educational attainment the school can provide,” it adds. “As such it is considered that ‘very special circumstances’ do exist and the potential harm to the green belt is clearly outweighed by other considerations.”
Stockport council planning and highways committee meets at Fred Perry House on Thursday (March 24), from 6pm.
