THE proposed new St John's School could be doomed unless the district council drops its demand for a minimum 50 per cent affordable homes on its site in Chopping Knife Lane, Marlborough, said head Patrick Hazlewood this week.

The planned new school to replace the existing two sets of buildings will cost about £20 million.

The only funding St John's has is the asset of the lower school site where the school's development partners Crest Nicholson wants to build nearly 180 homes.

The scheme is controversial because when a local plans inspector made a special exception to building outside the town's built-up area for the school he stipulated "about 150" homes should be permitted.

Crest Nicholson's plans submitted to Kennet show 178 homes.

This week Dr Hazlewood said it was unlikely that if Kennet continued to insist on 50 per cent affordable housing that the new school scheme could go ahead in the form passed by the council five months ago.

He said: "We need Kennet planners to come down to about 25 per cent affordable homes and that should bring in enough money for the new school to proceed."

Dr Hazlewood said that as far as he understood it was not central government planning edict driving Kennet to insist on 50 per cent affordable homes but its own local plan policy.

Coun Marian Hannaford said she had always supported the new St John's School but said it had been aware throughout the planning process that Kennet would be asking for 50 per cent affordable homes.

Coun Hannaford said: "It has been the case all along that 50 per cent of the homes would have to be affordable.

"The school went into this with their eyes open and has been aware all along of this requirement."

Peter Gordon, a founder member of the St John's School Neighbourhood Residents' Association, set up to oppose the school plans, said: "Surely the school and the developers should have done their sums before they went ahead and submitted their plans."