CAMPAIGNERS have called for the new secretary of state to open a public inquiry after councillors voted in favour of building a new primary school.

The decision to relocate The Heights Primary School to Mapledurham Playing Fields has upset many residents, who feel the site is not suitable.

Planning permission was approved in April and Reading Borough Council agreed to accept a capital grant of £450,000 in exchange for part of the land to invest in leisure facilities.

Mapledurham Playing Fields Action Group (MPFAG) urged James Brokenshire, who is responsible for overseeing Communities and Local Government, to support their concerns.

The group believes the council 'contravened national planning guidelines' and fears the development, if actioned, will 'devastate' the recreational activities.

Martin Brommell, chair of MPFAG, said: “If the plan goes ahead the situation will get far worse. The playing fields will be re-landscaped, rendering the football pitches unusable for two years, with nowhere to accommodate the club.

“The car park will be unusable at certain times of the day and restricted for the remainder, impacting all sports and many leisure users. There is a very large contingent of dog walkers, many of whom come by car.

“The restoration of the pavilion will be even further delayed, so users will either have to drive or be driven to their groups and clubs.”

Reading Chronicle:

Planning officers recommended that the project be approved due to the 'deficiency' in primary school provision and argued that the 'overriding public benefits' of building the school on the fields would outweigh loss of open space.

Hundreds of objections were lodged to the initial application after five sites were considered.

The Heights currently operates from a temporary site on Gosbrook Road and is already at full capacity with 225 students.

Further proposals have been put forward for a new temporary building to house more pupils during the interim building phase.

A council spokesman said: "Members of the planning applications committee have agreed, in principle, to grant planning permission for the development, subject to a number of matters, namely, the application’s referral to the secretary of state.

"If he does not call in the application and the planning obligations are secured, the head of Planning Development and Regulatory Services has delegated authority from the committee to issue the planning permission.

“In taking its decision, the committee took into consideration all relevant planning matters and listened carefully to the concerns of local residents. Ultimately, it is for the secretary of state to determine if the application should be considered at a public inquiry."