Purley School permitted to build on its playground

Last week, West Berkshire Council’s decision to sell 1.6 acres of playing field at Winchcombe School, Newbury, came under attack by the national media in the wake of the Olympics.
Now district councillors have given the go-ahead for an extension at Purley Infant School which will see the school lose 53 square metres of playground.
Purley Infant School argues the work is necessary in order for it to become a primary school, but opponents say pupils will be left with nowhere to exercise.
Planning permission was granted by the district council’s eastern area planning committee at a heated meeting last Wednesday night.
The plans, which include the construction of a new two-storey building with classrooms and a library, will mean the school can increase its capacity from 60 to 105 pupils in order to become a primary school. Currently children have to leave the school when they reach seven and move to Long Lane Primary School, Tilehurst, nearly a mile up the road.
Chairwoman of governors at Purley Infant School, Charlotte Julien told the meeting: “Changing schools at the young age of seven can be very de-stabling.”
But member of the Purley Infants Plans Action Group, Rita Denman said the school would be left with an unacceptable amount of play area, totalling 171 square metres.
“The remaining outside space would not meet the needs of growing ten and eleven-year-old children. It would subject the children to sub-standard sport and exercise,” she added.
The Purley Infants Plans Action Group also attacked the school for not providing disabled access to the first floor of its proposed new building.
Spokesman for JBKS Architects, Kelvin Sampson said a disabled lift could be installed, but in the meantime classrooms would have to be ‘shuffled’ if a disabled pupil or teacher joined the school.
Meanwhile, planning spokesman for Purley Parish Council, Graham Rolfe described the plans as ‘overdevelopment’, adding that an increase in pupil capacity would lead to an increase in traffic and noise pollution.
However, head of education services at West Berkshire Council, Maxine Slade said the school’s future depended on becoming a primary school, as the government moves towards per-pupil funding.
Portfolio holder for education, Irene Neill (Con, Aldermaston) said: “It’s a lot of building on a very small site but I really do not like separate infant and primary schools, especially when it doesn’t have its own junior school. I feel quite strongly that we need a primary school in Purley.”
The plans were approved by five votes to four.
The meeting also heard that extra parking and footways in nearby Lister Close could be provided to improve access to the school, but this would be subject to another planning application.