SCHOOL governor John Kirk is at the centre of a row between St Peter's C of E Primary School and St Peter's Church in Devizes, after a rumour was printed in the church newsletter that one of the school's buildings could be sold off for housing.

School governors said it has never been considered and they are going ahead with their plans to lease the building, currently used by the infants, to a private nursery from September.

It has transpiredthe idea for redeveloping the school building came from Mr Kirk, who is a churchwarden at St Peter's Church as well as a governor of St Peter's School.

Mr Kirk has dubbed the row a storm in a tea cup and said he never meant to cause any trouble to the school or the church.

St Peter's School headteacher Sandy Fletcher referred to the row in the school's latest newsletter.

In it she said: "I was very concerned to read in the church newsletter that our school site was being discussed by St Peter's Church without any knowledge of the school's governing body.

"The newsletter mentions proposals of building development on our school site and the chair of governors and I want to reassure parents that there are no plans now or in the future to develop the school site."

The school is owned by the Salisbury Diocese Board of Education. Mrs Fletcher said Simon Franklin, its buildings and trusts officer, had written to St Peter's Parochial Church Council asking for a retraction in the next church newsletter.

Mr Franklin, in his letter, says: "This board is trustee of St Peter's School, including the old infants' school behind the church, and knows nothing of any proposal to separate the buildings behind the church from the school nor to carry out any development there.

"The governors have not indicated that they wish to pass back to the trustees the old key stage one site.

"Indeed they have proposals to use the buildings for a pre-school and the building remains part of the school premises."

Mrs Fletcher said the governors have been working to attract a nursery to lease the building, because the infants could be accommodated in the main school building.

Mrs Fletcher said she and the governors had been contacted by several parents since the article appeared in the newsletter. She said they were all very concerned that the building might be sold off.

She re-iterated that the building will open as a nursery in September run by Taylor Made Childcare.

In the article in the church newsletter it says that Mr Kirk asked an architect friend to produce a plan which showed the conversion of the school building into four retirement flats together with seven houses on adjacent land.

The sale of the land, the article says, could be worth £1 million and would benefit the church but the Gazette has been told that proceeds from any sale of the school land would go to the Diocese of Salisbury Board of Education.

Mr Kirk, of Whistley Road, Potterne, told the Gazette: "All I did was find out what was possible because the church is in need of funds as is the school.

"It was just an idea I had. It wasn't meant to be anything to get in the school's way. It was something I did privately. It was a fall-back situation. The school has been trying to let the building for a long time and I am very pleased that they have managed to find a nursery to lease it."

jcrooks@newswilts.co.uk