Abbey School's plan to replace hedge railings slammed

The Abbey School has submitted a planning application to Reading Borough Council (RBC) to remove part of the 20m hedge running along Kendrick Road opposite the school and replace it with a wall and railings.

But residents say the hedge has existed long before the school was built and have raised concerns about the impact on greenery, habitats, and the heritage of the area.

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They said the hedge screens them from noise and the floodlights, is a “haven” for wildlife, and helps to reduce pollution.

Criticism of the plans

Joanna Jarvis, who lives on Kendrick Road, said the plans would be “a further erosion of the area by the Abbey School” and only represent the interests of the private school.

Mr D and Mrs P Wood, who also live on Kendrick Road, said the 20m hedge has been in existence for more than 100 years, was there before the school was built in 1905, and is part of the heritage of the area.

Reading’s Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC) called the plans “excessive” and said the school should be “a good neighbour” and support local heritage.

A spokesman for the school said: “The Abbey School is determined to be a good neighbour and to play a positive role in the local community.

“Our proposals are intended to have mutual benefit for both school and community.”

Why the school wants to cut down the hedge

PICTURED: The school hedge

The Abbey School wants to replace part of the hedge with dwarf walls with “elegant” metal railings, which would match the wall on the oppose site of the road.

It says “a substantial amount of the hedge” will be retained and the new wall will give a “greater sense of openness and space” for residents.

The hedge provides “mediocre screening and requires significant costly maintenance”, according to the school, while also obscureing surveillance of children, requiring additional staff to be present when the sports facilities are in use.

The replacement wall would allow for “passive surveillance”.

The hedge also obscures views of the campus, “meaning prospective parents do not realise that the school have such high-quality sports facilities”, according to the school’s planning consultant.

A spokesman for the school said the new wall would “create the sense of a unified and cohesive campus”, while protecting and enhancing the Conservation Area.

But Janet Britnell, also of Kendrick Road, said: “There must be other ways to make it clear to prospective parents that the school has playing fields just across the road.

“Besides, parents might actually prefer that their daughters were not likely to be exposed to the gaze of the public at large, and adequately supervised on the playing fields, rather than passively supervised from the other side of the road.”

Pavilion concerns

Residents and the CAAC have also raised concerns that the designs show plans for a pavilion on the playing field.

A spokesman for the school said: “We have potential interest in a pavilion, not least to support increased community use of our sports facilities, but this would be subject to a full planning process should we propose to move in this direction. “

Late night Floodlighting

The school is also seeking to increase the hours of use for floodlighting the artificial grass pitch.

Currently, the floodlights can be on until 7pm on weekdays and 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Abbey School is seeking permission to change this to 10.30pm, Monday-Saturday and 10pm on Sundays.

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It said this will “deliver a significant community-wide benefit, allowing children and adults increased access to share this wonderful outdoor space”.

However, neighbours said the floodlighting ‘already disrupts residents’ enjoyment of the area well into the evening” and an increase in hours would “harm the area even more”.