PLANS for the new St Stephen's School, Skipton, have raised protests from residents who claim their gardens would be over shadowed by the concrete buildings.

A group from St Stephen's Close has said it objects to the building of the seven classrooms on the grassy avenue running from the present school hall.

They claim the units would block the view from their back gardens, which run parallel, and would be built on a conservation area.

The primary school has applied to replace its 150-year-old school with a new block of seven classrooms including a nursery. It has already been offered a grant from the DfEE.

Resident Bernard Dudley said that the one storey classroom planned for behind his house would at least double the height of his garden wall. "It may not be that tall but they are tall enough to hover over us," he said.

Mr Dudley added that there was not even a plan to stone finish the classroom wall to make it easier on the eye, even though the garages on The Close all had to be stone faced.

He also objected to the application to demolish the infant block building on Gargrave Road.

Mr Dudley said if the building was pulled down to make way for a playground, the first view visitors would have of the school and of Skipton as they arrived would be the pre-fabricated hall.

Another resident Ian Miller said he objected to the school wanting to build on a green field site when the convent building behind the church was lying empty and would just be left to become derelict.

He said the green land was a conservation site and had been included as a protected site in the town's local plan. "If it is built it will be against the plan," he said.

Resident Peter Armitage is one of the four occupiers who would look out onto a two storey classroom should the plans be approved. "We are faced with a two storey building within two metres of the boundary wall," he said.

He claimed the buildings had been planned as close to the boundary as possible so as not to interfere with the trees on the avenue, but the land was not wide enough to hold the classrooms.

Skipton's Town Council planning committee objected to the plans. Chairman Coun Betty Campbell said: "This area is designated as an important open space in the local plan. The committee feels that the utilisation of brown land, like St Monica's (behind the church) would be a more appropriate place."

The residents have sent their objections to Craven District Council's planning committee which will discuss the application next month.