Do or die for Stockton Heath Primary School

10:05am Thursday 1st February 2007

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D-DAY has come for Stockton Heath Primary School as councillors vote on its future.

After 18 months of bitter wrangling over whether the Edwardian building will be bulldozed or retained, the decision will finally be made by borough councillors tonight, Thursday.

While education bosses, some parents, teachers and villagers favour a new-build, vehement opposition to the proposal has never disappeared.

Save Stockton Heath Primary Action Group gathered a 5,000- strong petition.

Template letters of objection were also posted through many letterboxes in the village and sent to the council's planning department.

The mass campaigning led to a victory for the protesters last March as councillors on the planning committee rejected the original scheme.

Amended plans were resubmitted in August and later approved by the borough council's executive board, again dividing public views.

Meanwhile, a rebel council has been established by those who claim the views of stakeholders, over issues including the historic value of the Egerton Street school have been ignored by elected members.

Famous former pupils playwright Tim Firth and TV presenter Martin Roberts have shown interest in the building's future.

Meanwhile, momentum grew for protesters as MEP Den Dover lobbied the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to save the historic site.

Despite a shift in political power at the Town Hall from Labour to Liberal Democrats, plans to modernise the village primary school have not been shelved.

The question remains that if this latest attempt fails will education bosses finally lose the £3.4 million grant for the project from central Government?