A LONG standing row over the provision of 67 homes for Chatteris has concluded with Roddons Housing Association agreeing to pay �52,000 towards pre-school places.

This will be on top of �64,000 towards play areas on the former Kingsfield Primary School site in Treeway where 34 flats and 33 houses can now be built.

Councillors held back the scheme – despite officer pressure- to ensure Roddons agreed to help pay towards a �122,000 scheme to provide 26 places at Kingsfield Pre-School. The extension can now go ahead with �20,000 coming from a Sure Start New Places grant and external funding of �50,000 agreed in principle from Fens Adventurer funding.

The result was hailed a success by councillors who had originally been recommended by officers to approve the scheme without recourse to a financial contribution from Roddons.

Officers had originally argued that the county council had confirmed the catchment primary and secondary schools had sufficient capacity for a development of this size and were therefore not seeking a section 106 (planning obligation) agreement towards education.

Councillors challenged the figures and although primary and secondary schools were thought to be able to absorb extra numbers, the county council suggested a contribution to pre schooling was justified.

Councillors were told that “Kingsfield Pre-School does not have capacity to meet the expected demand from an additional 67 dwellings”.