What is RHACC?

Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College (RHACC) is one of nine Institutes of Adult Learning (IAL) in the UK and was established on 1 October 2017 through the merger of Richmond Adult and Community College and Hillcroft College. Although the newly formed RHACC was created in 2017, a college has been on this site and operating as an adult learning centre since 1920, when it was known as The National Residential College for Women. The College’s values are built on the IAL’s shared expertise in adult learning and its commitment to the needs of adults and communities. The College provides further education and resources to develop skills for careers, life and wellbeing.

With two campuses in Richmond and Surbiton, and superb facilities including a dedicated Art School and Business School, Women-only Education, a 120-seat theatre, specialist co-working and office space, meeting rooms, classrooms, workshops and kitchens - RHACC is a busy community facility open during the day, evenings and weekends.

Serving over 7,000 students each year, RHACC offers a vibrant learning environment tailored specifically for adult learners.

Where is RHACC?

RHACC has two campuses (Richmond Town Centre and Hillcroft in Surbiton). It has a long history of delivering community education for adults at both centres in response to the local community and economic needs of the region.

The proposal is to redevelop the Hillcroft Campus in Surbiton, London, KT6 6DF which is in the Surbiton Neighbourhood in the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, within easy walking distance of Surbiton Train Station.

What courses does RHACC provide?

RHACC offers a an extensive range of courses designed to meet local needs both socially and economically, leading to improved lives and improved economic contribution to the local area.

RHACC was rated as “Good” by Ofsted in 2019 who stated “Learners, who come from a variety of social backgrounds, arrive at an open and supportive environment. They are challenged to do their best by tutors who have high expectations of them, know them well and are sensitive to their needs. As a result, many learners develop their confidence and resilience.”

The College provides progression to work, wellbeing, education and personal empowerment for adults of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. It provides qualification, leisure and personal support programmes to support learners of all brackgrounds to succeed.

The Hillcroft Women’s Education programme carries forward the mission of the original residential college, established on the site in Surbiton in 1920. It has been enhanced and developed to meet the evolving needs of women in the 21st century.

Why does the College need redeveloping?

The current college building was originally built as a Victorian family home and, as such, the spaces are not suited to modern education or those with special needs.

By renovating the Grade II listed building for residential use and utlising the bottom half of the site to build a new purpose-built college building RHACC will be able to protect the history and integrity of Grade 11 listed building, while investing in a modern, well designed space for community learning in Surbiton.

Further enhancements to the site will include new landscaping and the demolition of the 1975 extension which was added to the rear of the Victorian building.

What do the proposals include? The proposals address the need for a new college building, while restoring the fabric of the listed building, changing it back to residential use and include:

• Redevelopment of the existing college building, The Gables, back to residential use • Construction of three new buildings: o A new college building o A new college crèche o A new residential building.

The current site will be split in two. The new college and creche will be located on the western half of the site, and new homes towards the east - situated within footprint of The Gables and new apartment building.

What do the proposals include?

Our proposals seek to address the need for a new college building, whilst restoring the fabric of the listed building, changing it back to residential use.

Our proposals consist of:

• Redevelopment of the existing college building, The Gables, back to its original residential use
• Construction of three new buildings - these include:
  • A new college building
  • A new college crèche
  • A new residential building.

The current site will be split in two. The new college and creche will be located on the western half of the site, and new homes towards the east - situated within The Gables and a new apartment building.

What size is the new college building?

The new college building will be two-storeys tall which is lower than the current 1970s building in situ (Powell House). Internally the college will be smaller but through intelligent design, there will be more efficient use of space incorporating greater flexibility to meet the learning and community needs of all students.

What size is the new residential building?

The new residential building, planned to be located on the top half of the site, will be four-storeys tall. Situated within the extended grounds of the listed building, this new residential building will share a separate site access and would be sold to increase the funding available to support the building of the new college.

What size is the new creche?

The new creche building will be one-storey and will sit on the lower half of the site. The crèche will be a small, efficient building, respecting the sensitive landscaping of the Conservation Area.

How will the works affect the Grade II listed building?

The Grade II listed building will be renovated and converted back to residential use.

The ground floor extension (built in 1975) will be demolished to restore the character of the building. This will also provide better daylight and natural ventilation and restoration of the original courtyard garden.

A small extension to the ground and first floor of the southern wing will also be built. This seeks to reinstate the listed building to its original form and draws from the original 1877 plan.

A new L-shaped building, designed to complement the listed building, will be added. This will provide a courtyard space and quality accommodation for future residents. This will also create a series of semi-private external spaces, which will be a key design element when changing the use to residential.

The addition of a new residential block allows for an increase in the provision of residential units, while minimising the impact to the setting of the Grade II listed building.

Why are new homes being proposed if this is a college site?

The new homes are vital for our proposals to go ahead. They help make the new college buildings viable, while contributing towards local housing need.

RHACC is a publicly funded organisation and therefore the cost of building a new college will need to include the utilisation of all assets to fund the project.

The sale of the residential half of the site increases the value that can be obtained from the development and therefore makes the building of a new community learning centre more viable.

How many homes are being provided?

Currently 34 homes are being proposed.

How many car parking spaces will be provided?

On site, there will be approximately 22 parking spaces:

• On site, there will be approximately 22 parking spaces:

• 12 for the college and creche, these will be primarily for disabled users, college visitors, site staff and teachers

• 10 for private residential
• 10% of these will be for blue-badge holders.

There will also be provision for charging electric vehicles.

Will there be any cycling facilities included?

There will be cycle parking for both the college and the residential accommodation.

As part of our proposals, we will be including cycle parking to encourage sustainable transport to and from the college.

Will there be new access to the site?

The main pedestrian and vehicular access is via South Bank. The existing vehicular access to the north east of the site will be retained and the existing vehicular access to the north west will be relocated slightly to the west to improve access.

Will visitors be able to walk through the site?

The top site will be private residential use so will not be open to general visitors. However, RHACC's aim is to provide areas accessible by the community such as the Café and Reception area.

What will be included in the landscaping proposals?

As part of the redevelopment of the site, we will be introducing a new hard and soft landscaping strategy, considerate to the existing tree preservation provisions and the wider conservation area.

This includes:

• Wild landscaping including designated wildlife areas, rain gardens and lawn areas
• Low impact Resin gravel paths, providing visually soft but well-drained paths through the site
• SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) paving, pathways, and steps.
• Enhancement of existing ecology.

A sensitive re-landscaping of the various courtyards and external spaces will be a key step to enhance the presence of the listed building. This will also provide future residents with amenity spaces of various scale, purpose and privacy.

Will any trees be removed?

Any tree removal will be kept to an absolute minimum. Many of the trees on the site are self-planting and are small in diameter, flanked by larger healther specimens. Some of these small trees which are in poor health and don’t contribute to the biodiversity may be removed. This will be countered by the planting of new trees to support the biodiversity on the site and provide natural screening.

Will there be new tree planting?

Yes, new planting will be proposed to improve biodiversity within the site as well as screening the proposed residential site from the proposed college site. The trees will act as natural screening to the outer areas of the site.

How are you protecting other wildlife on the site such as bats and badgers?

Our plans will ensure that protected species are not affected by the development work and we are working with specialist ecology consultants to ensure this is fully accounted for within the plans.

What about any protected species living underneath the site that could be affected?

Our extensive investigations show no evidence of any tunnels or underground areas on the site and so there is no risk to protected species. There is a WW2 bunker which has been filled in with concrete and therefore is not accessible. There is also a vent on the site which comes from the sewage pipes running underneath.

Is the site within a Conservation Area? How do your plans complement it?

Yes, the entire site sits within the Oakhill Conservation Area. Like many conservation areas near Surbiton Town Centre, Oakhill remained almost completely undeveloped until the start of the 19th century. Much of the area formed an extensive area of open space, totalling around 190 acres, known as Surbiton Common.

How environmentally friendly will the buildings be? Will the site lower its carbon footprint as a result?

The current building envelope is inefficient and provides low thermal resistance (so the energy usage of the current buildings is high). The new buildings will have a well-insulated envelope and will use Air Source Heat Pumps.

What renovation is taking place on the Grade II listed building?

The strategy for renovating the listed building is to change the use of the existing college building to residential accommodation with as little external work as possible. The internal reconfiguration to apartments seeks to keep as much of the existing fabric as possible by first identifying elements of special interest such as fireplaces, stained glass windows, timber panelling, and feature ceilings.

What benefits will there be for the local community?

The development of the site will provide a range of benefits for the local community, including:

• Modern, purpose-designed and built education facilities
• Improved setting of the Grade II listed building
• A new café and workspace that will be open to the public
• New jobs for a range of skills due to the increase in students and courses
• New high-quality space that can be hired out at competitive rates for community use
• Financial contributions to the Council going towards local infrastructure through the form of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and S106

How can the community be involved?

Our consultation launched in June 2021 and included a Public Exhibition on-site, where local residents could discuss the plans with the team and submit feedback. Interested people could also submit feedback via this website. If you would like to discuss the plans with the team, please do get in touch via the contact details below.

When will a planning application be submitted?

The planning application has been submitted, and is available to view on Kingston Council's website: https://publicaccess.kingston.gov.uk/online-applications/

Enter reference numbers 22/00607/FUL and 22/00608/LBC to search for the applications.

How has consultation influenced the scheme?

We received feedback through the pre-application consultation. The team reviewed all feedback recieved and considered this in further refining their plans. Modifications as a result of feedback include:

• Reducing the height and roofline of the new crèche building to minimise visual impact.
• An agreement to consult with local residents in the planning of replanting trees around the entrance to the college.

What is the project timeline?

We are aiming to submit a planning application to the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames shortly. Subject to an application being approved, we hope to begin the first of the works in 2022.

Demolition of the 1970s ground floor extension of the Grade II listed building and Powell House will be complete by 2023 and construction of new buildings will be taking place in 2024.

How will construction vehicles access the site?

A construction method statement including this information will be prepared as part of the Planning Submission.

The main access to the site will be from the existing entrance on South Bank, to the north east of the site.

All loadings will be done on site to reduce the impact on neighbours of the site and traffic in the local area.

How will noise pollution be mitigated throughout construction?

We will only employ considerate constructors, who are part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, which ensures the impact on local communities is minimised in terms of noise, traffic, dust and hours of operation.

The Considerate Constructors scheme is a national initiative set up by the construction industry to improve its image. Construction sites and companies registered with the scheme are monitored against a Code of Considerate Practice.