Campaigners: Wycombe district councillor Stephen Billingham, Nigel Phillips and Chris Shadbolt of the Residents Association

'Help us give our community a heart'

CAMPAIGNERS have called for education chiefs to regenerate their neighbourhood after they announced they planned to close the area's school.

Sands Residents Association wants the site of Sands First School, in Sands, High Wycombe, to be turned into shops, a Post Office and car parking because they fear it could be sold for housing.

Buckinghamshire County Council education chiefs are waiting to hear if they are allowed to close the school. If the Government gives its approval to the plans, the school will be closed from September.

Nigel Phillips, of the Sands Residents Association, said: "This is a golden opportunity for Sands. We can save this historic Edwardian facade of the school, create new community facilities that will bring life to the heart of Sands.

"Buckinghamshire County Council should not take the easy option of knocking down the school and selling it for housing land.

"Sands deserves better. It is quite a straggly suburb of Wycombe and could do with a centre and a heart."

A Buckinghamshire County Council spokesman said: "We expect to hear from the Government some time before June and we welcome any representations from the Sands Residents Association.

"It is likely the education committee would look at realising their assets if the school is allowed to be closed down. If it is sold off, the money would go straight back into education."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.