PLANS for a new building for Malmesbury Primary School at Tetbury Hill have been given the go-ahead despite controversy about the 120 houses at Filands that will be built to pay for it.

North Wiltshire District Council planning committee voted in favour of two linked proposals, to put a new building on the primary school's existing site, and build on the abandoned Malmesbury Comprehensive School site at Filands.

Wiltshire County Council, which proposed the scheme, hopes to make £6m from the sale of the land at Filands, and a further £1m from 20 new homes in front of the new primary school.

The county council plans to use £2.5m of this to build the new school. The remaining £4.5m will be used to pay for the council's private finance initiative contribution to the new comprehensive school.

The primary school has outgrown its main building and has had to use mobile classroom units to accommodate all its pupils.

County councillor John Thomson said he was delighted the scheme had been approved and said the people of Malmesbury would benefit.

He said: "I was very surprised. I felt it would not be supported by the committee.

"On the positive side we will be the only town in the county of Wiltshire to have a new primary school and secondary school.

"And 30 per cent of the houses will be affordable and that will nearly clear Westlea Housing Association's waiting list for affordable housing.

"It will provide a much needed playground facility for Reeds Farm and the new houses at Filands and two acres of open space will also be available.

"The new primary school will be a 14 class primary, bigger than the 11 class school and will release the money the school pays on maintenance to spend on the development of teaching.

"What local groups need to do is to get a quality design which will act as a gateway from that side of Malmesbury and we make sure we improve access to Tetbury Hill in the form of cycle paths and bus routes.

"Compared with other developments, such as Reeds Farm's 414 houses, this is fairly small and unlike Reeds Farm there is benefit for the community."

But last week's decision to build at Filands went against the recommendations of council planning officers.

In a report to the council they said the Filands scheme should be refused because it was an unacceptable intrusion on the countryside.

Residents' groups and the town council were also opposed to the development because Malmesbury could not cope with such a large development.

Last week the Civic Trust and Malmesbury St Paul's Without Residents' Association held a meeting to express their concern.

Mayor Charles Vernon, who is also the trust's treasurer, said he was worried the Filands development would become a ghetto on the outskirts of town.

He said: "We are going to end up with a separate community on top of the hill. It is so far away from the centre of town, and the nearest pubs and shops.

"I don't think people will be walking down the hill. They will get in their cars and with all the parking problems they will be going to Tetbury and Cirencester to shop. I can't see how it is going to benefit Malmesbury."

Mr Vernon said a smaller development would have been more acceptable.

He said: "The brownfield site they are planning to build on is only 1.06 hectares on this site which could be built on along the with the land next to the road. But nobody has given us that option, it has been all or nothing."

District planners first considered plans to develop Filands in October but deferred a decision until they could discuss plans for the new primary school.