Anger in Startforth over plans to build extra classrooms at Barnard Castle primary school

SENIORS have slammed county bosses for renovating a dale primary school one year on from closing their village institution.

Startforth’s Rita Liverseed has lived in the village for 60 years and was heartbroken when the Morritt Memorial Primary School closed at the end of 2016.

But her upset turned to anger last month when plans were submitted for Montalbo Primary School, in Barnard Castle, to receive an overhaul and four classroom extension through Durham County Council.

The 86-year-old said: “I was absolutely disgusted and I felt sick and upset when I found out they were going to put three more classrooms on Montalbo. We have all this at Startforth and they have walked away from it.

“I was at the meeting and they said there was plenty of room in Bowes, Montalbo and Green Lane and that everything would work – the next thing you know they are building.

“But we knew that would happen. It’s not right and we know it’s not right.”

Mrs Liverseed has lived in Startforth since 1958 and her father-in-law was headmaster of the school for 23 years.

She added: “I felt sick that Durham County Council would do it.

“I was so mad that the children at Montalbo were saying it was so lovely when the children at Startforth were crying not so long ago at leaving.

“I was talking to another former headmaster and he said he came into this room and could have cried.

“There were two I met that day and they were in tears at what had happened here.”

Montalbo Primary will be home to an upgraded assembly hall, new parking bays and an upgraded nursery should the plans get the nod.

Some Startforth villagers feared the renovation over the river had been lined up before their school was shut.

“I think that those plans must have been in before they closed that school,” said one resident, who wished to remain anonymous.

Startforth has seen a glut of housing developments in the past eight years with 162 homes near Deerbolt Young Offenders’ Institution now under construction.

Their arrival has compounded ill feeling over the school’s closure.

But prospects for youngsters to return to the old building look bright with work underway to ready part of the old school for toddlers in 2019. Startforth’s Marjorie Christon added: “I think that’s wonderful – anything that keeps it going.”

Sheila Palmerley, Durham County Council’s strategic manager for school places and admissions, said: “The extension to Montalbo Primary School is to address the increased numbers of two, three and four-year-olds

applying for a place at the pre-school and early years’ provision at Montalbo and not in response to the closure of Startforth primary School.

“Since the Government introduced 15 and 30 hours’ free childcare to eligible families, there has been an increased demand for places in this provision at Montalbo.

“This pressure on places was already apparent and in the process of being addressed before Startforth Primary School closed.”