A SCHOOL has become embroiled in a public dispute with a parish council over its plans to build two new classrooms.

Downton Primary School plans to expand so it can accommodate extra pupils, but Downton Parish Council has objected.

In a newsletter, school governors urged parents to sign a petition demanding the council “safeguard the future provision of primary education in the village by better representing the views of local people”.

More than 200 people have signed it and governors say the “majority of the village” is being “drowned out by a small group of opponents”.

Campaigners fear children will have to be “bussed out” of Downton when a number of developments in the village — which could total 190 new homes — are built.

Wiltshire Council, alongside the school, has proposed building two extra classrooms to provide between 40 and 60 extra places.

It will see the school take in one-and-a-half classes a year, instead of just one.

And there are fears the new housing could mean more established homes in the village miss out on places as they are further away from the school and therefore could be excluded from the catchment area.

The parish council has already agreed to lease a strip of the memorial gardens to the school to compensate for the loss of playing fields.

After originally having been in favour of the proposal, councillors have now objected, saying the plans “significantly” differ from those circulated at the public consultation in July 2013.

The parish council says it is concerned about the height of the two-storey development, location of flood defences and the inclusion of a multi-use games area (MUGA), which will be made available to the public for community use.

At a packed public meeting on Monday, the council agreed to try to re-open talks with the school, but argued it had given “no compelling educational, technical or legal reasons” for changing the proposals from two years ago.

Dave Mace, chairman of the parish council, said: “The parish council looks to Downton Primary School to address the reasonable concerns that have been raised.

“Community cohesion across the parish is dependent on the school and Wiltshire Council being willing to compromise.”