TARPORLEY Parish Council have rejected Cheshire County Council plans to move the village primary school to the high school site.

At a packed meeting on Monday residents gathered to voice their disapproval to the parish council on the plans which were put on display at the high school last week.

They told the council the proposed school was not big enough to support new children coming to the village, that they would not use the “walking bus” idea and proposed access to the school was not good enough.

Parish council chairman Heidi Nickson told gathered residents that their concerns are echoed by councillors.

In a letter to children’s services, the parish council said they object to the proposals, and told the council to think again about developing the current school site.

The council said in the letter: “The current primary school location is in the heart of the village and the presence of the children contributes significantly to the vitality of the village.

“Re-locating the primary school to the periphery of the village will damage the school and the community.”

They told the county council that the idea of the walking bus was “unworkable” and parents would not use it, but use obvious short cuts. They said the design of the building was “inappropriate” for the village, “the proposed Nantwich Road bus drop and collect point is inadequate as it lacks capacity for the number of buses” and that “the parish council does not believe a shared campus is appropriate for a village community”.

The parish council also told children’s services that they strongly object to the proposed demolition of the Brook Farm School buildings and want them to continue to be used as a community resource. The letter also highlights their objections to the plans for housing developments on the Brook Farm site and Park Road.

The parish council highlighted they want the best school to give the highest quality of education and the county council must and should listen to local opinion on the plans.