TOWN councillors in Marlborough have said too many homes are planned on the St John's School site in Chopping Knife Lane.

On Monday residents from Chopping Knife Lane and Barnfield were delighted when town councillors supported their own objections and voted against the scheme.

Last week the Gazette reported that members of the St John's School Neighbourhood Residents' Association were willing to take their fight against the homes plan all the way to the Deputy Prime Minister's office.

Kennet planners have already given consent for the new £20m single site school on the former grammar school campus in Orchard Road.

Now the school needs to raise the cost of the new school by building homes on the former secondary modern school site in Chopping Knife Lane.

Developer Crest Nicholson has submitted plans for 178 homes on the lower school site. Residents and town councillors claim the number is too far in excess of the "about 150" stipulated by an inspector at a local plan inquiry three years ago.

The Chopping Knife Lane School site was previously outside of the town's building limits but as a special case because of the St John's desire to move to one site the inspector released the secondary modern school site for housing.

On Monday acting planning chairman Bryan castle said councillors had been inundated with letters of objection from neighbouring families.

Their two main concerns, said Coun Castle, was the number of homes proposed and traffic management including no proposed change to the Barnfield/London Road junction.

Coun Marian Hannaford said: "I am amazed the applicant has shown total disregard for the public inquiry.

"The inspector gave out what he suggested would be an optimum number of homes but the applicant has disregarded this."

Councillors agreed to object to the scheme primarily on the grounds of over development and road safety; that the scheme showed a disregard for the local plan inquiry findings; and the impact on the residential amenities of the area.

St John's School is on its half-term holiday and headteacher Patrick Hazlewood was not available this week to react to the town council's objections.