GOVERNORS at Larkrise Special School in Trowbridge say that Wiltshire Council’s decision to demolish buildings and sell neighbouring land that they had hoped to use is a ‘kick in the teeth’.

The authority received £100,000 in February from the government to bulldoze an old council building in Ashton Street, which will then be sold to developers.

However, in 2013, the school and Wiltshire Council were in talks over the special school moving to the Ashton Street Centre as it grew.

Vice-chairman of the governors, Ian Hill, said that the school is furious that they weren’t consulted about the demolition and sale, and that they only found out through a Wiltshire Times article.

“It is a real kick in the teeth as they promised we would be told about what would happen and nothing has come to fruition,” he said.

“We had talks with Wiltshire Council about the need for us to expand. They wanted to up our numbers but we would have to expand to do that. We felt it would be the most cost-effective and timely solution to our rising numbers. Architects came down to look at the Ashton Street Centre and it was said the ideal situation was to move in there or have a purpose built school there.

“Now we are not getting that and we will lose the 50 or so parking spaces that we were allowed to use there. To find all of this out in a newspaper article was very frustrating. We have been kept in the dark and that is unacceptable.”

The school was originally built for 45 but now educates 96 children with special needs.

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We need to ensure we have covered all the options for use or disposal of surplus land.

“We are currently reviewing the future use of this site, taking account of all views. A decision will be made reflecting the council’s obligations to achieve best value when disposing of council-owned assets.”