Anger as school fences off playing field

8:20am Thursday 21st June 2007

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VILLAGERS are angry after a school fenced off a playing field they say should be kept for community use.

The Ridings High School, in Winterbourne, has gone ahead with plans to erect a six-foot high barrier around 93 per cent of its 26-acre Hoopers Farm playing field - leaving just two acres for the public.

Residents are unhappy that the school has shut off the field before the outcome of an independent public inquiry in the autumn into a proposal for it to be used as a village green.

If the site is granted village green status it must be kept open to the public.

David Forsey, of Watleys End Road, said fencing off the site was "a waste of perfect recreational ground".

He said: "I am 74 years old and have used the field for 40 years, like my children and my grandchildren.

"I know technically it is the school's but we use it as our local park. When the school breaks up for summer it will be hardly touched."

Tony Harding, of Watleys End Road, accused the school of "jumping the gun and ploughing ahead with its plans".

"I only hope the inquiry grants the field village green status and the school has to pull the fence back down," he said.

The school initially announced it was to fence off the field last summer to heighten protection for its pupils.

It said the fence would tighten security and see an end to the rubbish and dog mess PE teachers had to clear up in the mornings.

But villagers reacted angrily and said the field should not be fenced off because it had been used by the community for recreational purposes for decades.

Mr Harding added: "The Ridings High School is a community school which, in my view, is not acting in the community's interest. We are very upset and determined to continue our fight."

The school's chairman of governors Mike Hayward said that the safety of their pupils was their priority.

He said: "We announced what we planned to do and offered to leave two acres for the public to use. We are now going ahead with the plan - nothing has changed.

"It is disappointing we could not come to agreement with the residents but we have to prioritise the pupils safety."

Winterbourne Parish and South Gloucestershire councillor John Godwin added: "As a parish council we are taking no stance on this issue. What the school has done is entirely within its legal powers."

South Gloucestershire Council spokesman Mat Rees said: "The Ridings High School has begun work on constructing a fence around an area of the sports field at the school. The school has a right by law to manage its premises correctly to provide a safe and secure environment for its staff and pupils.

"Approximately two acres of the land, all of which belongs to the council and is managed by the school, will remain unfenced and local residents will be permitted to use this. However, this right will be reviewed annually."