PLANS for a new primary school have been shelved by the council.

The Matthewsgreen Farm development on Matthewsgreen Road, Wokingham, involved the building of a school and associated parking and access.

The community, primary and nursery school building would have included playing fields, a hard court play area, but the proposal has been deferred by the Wokingham Borough Council planning committee.

Robert Millen, on behalf of the Emmbrook Residents' Association, spoke against the application, stating that the development would create too much noise, going above the permitted levels for the area.

The school development site is situated just minutes away from the current site of the Emmbrook School.

Councillor Piers Brunning, from Wokingham Borough Council, spoke in favour of the application, detailling that the current proposal would comply with the department of education's guidance for schools.

The problem with the application arose with the two-form entry format which was originally proposed.

A two-form entry into a school means that the school will take enough students for two classes in one go, rather than having a slightly larger single class.

The extra space needed to increase the intake led to an issue as to whether the school would meet DoE standards.

The service manager, SDL Planning Delivery, noted to the council that as the land is owned by the developer, there is no land available to increase the size of the school, therefore if it were to become a two-form entry school, it couldn't be extended.

The plans have been deferred so that there can be more communication between the DoE and the council's planning department.