Knebworth school campaigners hit back at critics

CAMPAIGNERS and residents who want to build a new school in Knebworth have hit back following a meeting in which their plans were roundly criticised. Parents in favour of the scheme have thrown their support behind Juliet Pomerance, the embattled leader

CAMPAIGNERS and residents who want to build a new school in Knebworth have hit back following a meeting in which their plans were roundly criticised.

Parents in favour of the scheme have thrown their support behind Juliet Pomerance, the embattled leader of the We Need A School Campaign, which proposes to build a secondary school and 200 new homes in Knebworth on 90 acres of Green Belt land.

And they've criticised some opponents of the campaign, saying they became "aggressive" at the recent Local Development Framework meeting of Knebworth Parish Council, and did not allow Ms Pomerance the chance to fully explain the purpose of the campaign and its aims.

The We Need A School campaign wants to build a school for children of secondary school age living in Knebworth and the surrounding villages of Woolmer Green, Oaklands, Datchworth and Codicote.

But many residents oppose the scheme, arguing that the school would turn Knebworth from a village to a town, and that the project is a waste of money, with ample school provisions available in Stevenage already.

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