Planning permission to relocate Bury and Whitefield Primary School to a greenbelt site was unanimously refused by the council planning committee on Tuesday.

The school’s governors had been hoping the proposed new site would raise intake to the currently undersubscribed 165-pupil school by relocating on the doorstep of the Whitefield Jewish community from its current Unsworth site three miles away.

Some 600 local residents opposed the plans and had previously forced the school to withdraw and resubmit the planning application. The application was also supported by more than 400 people.
Councillor Bernie Vincent, who normally chairs Bury Council’
s planning committee but stood down on this decision after declaring an interest, said the application had generated huge amounts of local debate.
“The argument was not any problem with building a new school, the problem was that they wanted to build it on green belt.”

Expressing his disappointment, chair of governors Rabbi Avrohom Jaffe said: “We are not ruling out going to appeal. We have looked at 50 sites in Bury and there aren’t any others suitable.”