COUNCIL chiefs have given the go ahead for a Darlington school to move to a new site, despite plans for a safe walking route falling through.

Cabinet members agreed on Tuesday to close the existing Alderman Leach Primary School in Cockerton and move it to a new £2.9m building on the West Park development at Faverdale.

The council had commissioned consultants to devise a safe route to the school through the new estate, but earlier this month it was revealed that this would not be possible until about two years after the school opened.

Instead, it plans to make alterations to footpaths and introduce new crossings on West Auckland Road until the housing development is completed.

This has angered members of the Cockerton Area Action Group, which led a campaign against the school being moved to West Park. They say using West Auckland Road as a route to school would be dangerous.

The chairman of the group, Roger Clark, said: "There's not going to be a safe route on one of the busiest roads in town. It's going to be horrendous - that road will just grind to a standstill at the peak times.

"It seems that the safety of children is coming second to the finances.

"Now we're just waiting for a child to be killed because that's what could happen."

Coun Stephen Harker, cabinet member for education, said yesterday that he was confident the revised route would be safe.

He said: "We are happy that the work we are doing will create a safe route to school. Once the housing development has got to the stage where we can put a footpath through it we will, but the last thing we want is to put a footpath through what will literally be a building site."

He added: "The thing that is forgotten, perhaps, is we are getting a brand new school and I think that is something to be proud of. I am sure the children will be delighted with it.