A Sutton councillor has accused the headteacher of The John Fisher School of ignoring residents' concerns about a proposed school sports hall.

In a heated debate at the Beddington and Wallington area committee meeting last Wednesday night, Councillor Graham Witham told Robin Gregory he had put residents at a disadvantage by not allowing them to respond to the proposals for the sports hall, which is the size of five badminton courts.

Residents say the hall would mean a loss of privacy, sunlight and trees and are also concerned about how builders would get onto the site.

And more than 30 neighbours have signed a petition in protest at the size of the hall, which would measure 1,333 square metres. A regular school sports hall is expected to be approximately 260 square metres.

Campaigner Ken Herriot, said: "If this application were to be agreed it would be a travesty of all the council's values."

Residents also fear extra traffic congestion and noise, as the school has expressed an interest in seeking sports college status in the future.

But the school argues the hall would only be used by local Catholic primary schools and it does not intend to open the sports hall for general use in the evenings.

The current gym measures 240 square metres and was built in 1965 when the school had 400 pupils. It now has 950.

Mr Gregory said: "All I can do this evening is to speak for the educational need for this development.

"Our last Ofsted report declared our current hall entirely inadequate. In September we will be moving from a four form to a five form school. We need this project."

The council decided to delay its decision until it has looked at the site itself.

December 11, 2001 15:30