A DEVELOPER has “let down” Leonard Stanley Primary School, according to the chair of its PTA.

Jo Byrne of Friends of Leonard Stanley School has said David Wilson Homes has not done enough to compensate the school for the impact of its new housing estate nearby - including by failing to help it build an outdoor classroom.

 

Ms Byrne in front of a sign for Saxton Gate

But the developer, part of Barratts Developments PLC, has insisted it has engaged with the school and contributed “significantly” to the area.

Ms Byrne, who claims Saxon Gate across the road has come at the cost of more crime, traffic, and strain on the school's resources, told the SNJ: “We have fundraised and have been lucky enough to have had a dedicated team of staff and parent volunteers to help us clear an unusable area on the school grounds, to make way for an outdoor classroom (which we built ourselves).

“We had approached the developers nearly two years ago for assistance with materials or labour to help us, but our pleas went unheard.”

“We are not asking for a massive injection of capital, expensive materials or a team of 50 people.

“Now 18 months on we have still not had any tangible positive engagement from DWH/Barratts, and we fell that they are more concerned with selling their homes than involving themselves in a community who have been affected in some way by the building of 150 houses within their village.”

A spokesperson for DWH said: “As we’re sure people will appreciate, we contribute significantly to the local area while creating new homes.

“Through our construction of Saxon Gate we have contributed hundreds of thousands of pounds towards local facilities including the library, education, a local travel plan and off-site recreation.

“While we would love to be able to support every community cause, it’s simply not possible to help everyone every time. We have communicated with the school over the last year and supplied some surplus items in the summer. We are sorry to hear the school is disappointed with the donation.”

 

Materials given by DWH to the school which Ms Byrne described as "measly"