Schools might not cope with demand if more homes are built in Loggerheads, say residents
Schools may not be able to cope with demand if plans for more than 100 new homes in a village are given the go ahead, it was claimed today.
Plans to build a development of 128 homes in Loggerheads near Market Drayton could add nearly 50 pupils to the education system – more than local schools would be able to accommodate.
Staffordshire County Council says the development would fall inside the catchment area of St Mary's CE Primary School in Mucklestone and the nearby Madeley High School.
It said the size of the plans could add 27 primary school aged pupils and 18 high school aged.
But the two schools are projected to have "insufficient places available to accommodate all of the likely demand from pupils generated by the development".
The plans have sparked a storm of opposition from residents who say along with another proposal for 78 homes close by, the village will become overdeveloped.
One Loggerheads resident, Anthony McCullagh said: "Allowing either or both of these proposals would also be unsustainable given the current infrastructure which is under extreme pressure from the existing area.
"Any enlargement would destroy the present village atmosphere and the sustainable nature of the area."
Renew Land Developments unveiled its initial plans of 128 homes for the Tadgedale quarry site last year at a consultation after highlighting the area as a positive site to build upon.
It said the area was unpopular among local people because of its use as a storage yard for heavy machinery.
Muller Strategic Projects said it had reduced the number of proposed houses from 98 to 78 after public consultation.
It added that the plan "regenerates an under used site with a high quality housing development which will be an attractive and sustainable place to live".
