THE COUNCIL has finally granted planning permission to a school which has been illegitimately operating under its nose - for more than 20 years.

Officers were none the wiser that Caversham Preparatory School in Peppard Road did not have the relevant documents to run as a school.

They threatened to shut down the site and went as far as dealing the owners a closure order, but their warning was appealed.

Richard Eatough, planning officer, said: "Officers became aware the school was being run as an entirely separate entity to the wider Chiltern College without the benefit of planning permission or an existing use certificate.

"Following a failure of the school owner to regularise the situation an enforcement notice to close the school was issued."

The school first opened in 1993 but was sold to Innova Schools Ltd in 2009.

After being told by the council the school has to shut down the owners quickly applied for retrospective planning permission, which was accepted at a council meeting last Wednesday.

The planning applications committee heard that one nearby neighbour was unhappy with the request however, after complaining to officers about disturbances.

A report prepared for councillors read: "The change into the Chiltern College School and then the Caversham Preparatory School has now become a noise nuisance.

"Children are left on the playground from 8.20am and shout and scream until all 90 children arrive and at 9am they are taken to school.

"If the school is allowed to continue there should be a limit on the number of children due to the lack of space."

The committee agreed to impose a series of conditions of the application, including limiting the maximum number of children on the register to 100.

Cllr Ed Hopper, ward member for Thames, said he was pleased the school had submitted the application, and asked for a series of restrictions to be added to the plans.

He said: "If something was not decided by 2019 they get the right to continue doing it anyway because they have been doing it for so long.

"Residents living near the school should have a reasonable expectation that noise disturbance should be less during summer holidays.

"I was wondering if it would be possible to add to that condition [of limiting the maximum children to 100] something along the lines of 100 during term time and 20 during school holidays to ensure there is a break for residents."

The committee agreed to meet Cllr Hopper's request, and the school is limited to no more than 20 children during school breaks.