ROWDE Parish Council is objecting to the plan to build a new primary school and extra housing in the village. The plan by school governors and developer, Persimmon, is to build a new school on the Devizes edge of the village.

To finance the £1.75million cost of a new school, the developer is proposing to build 24 two and three-storey houses on the existing school site in Marsh Lane.

But it has been told that under Kennet District Council's new affordable housing policy another 24 affordable houses need to be built and these are proposed on the new school site.

Councillors last Thursday decided to oppose the plan after hearing concerns from residents who would be affected by traffic using the school and worries that the housing would be too near to some existing homes.

Nearly 60 people attended last Thursday's council meeting in the village hall. Parish councillors considered the three separate planning applications related to the new school.

Councillors said that while they were not against the principle of a new school, they would object to the plan because of a catalogue of concerns expressed by residents.

There were fears about the suitability of the access from the main Devizes Road, concern about traffic congestion in Springfield Road, and concern about whether the village's existing sewerage system could cope with the number of homes proposed.

Councillors said the proposed three-storey houses would be too overwhelming in relation to the height of other buildings nearby, and they were unhappy there was no play area included.

They were also concerned that the material for the new school roof was not in keeping with the area.

But it was the fear of future traffic chaos which councillors put forward as their main reason for opposing the 24 affordable houses as the access to them is off Springfield Road.

Coun Ivan Whittaker-Axon said: "This scheme is shoehorning the homes into an enclosed site and it's going to cause chaos in Springfield Road."

Coun Alan Reynolds, who is also a governor at the school, said: "When Springfield Road was built it was two feet narrower than it should have been."

He said governors were not happy about the inclusion of 24 affordable houses in the scheme but were having to comply with Kennet District Council's ruling.

Residents in Springfield Road objected to the impact the new homes would have. One told the meeting: "I live in a bungalow opposite the school and the new houses would look straight into my bedroom."

Another said: "The affordable housing should be on the same site as the other housing."

After the meeting school headteacher David Ball said: "The majority of people's concerns expressed at the meeting are understandable and are based on concern about traffic and about people's privacy.

"The governors and Persimmon have done all they can to make sure the traffic problems will be minimised," he said.

"Wiltshire County Council's highways officers have recommended that the exit from the present school site is on to Springfield Road and that the access on to the new school site is from the main road, the A342 Devizes road.

"Persimmon has altered its plans three times because of concerns raised and I think we have got the best we can get."

The school's plan follows a Sarsen Housing Association application to build 19 homes on the site of former sheltered housing at Cromwell House, in Springfield Road, adding to residents' concerns of increased traffic using the road.