A SECONDARY school’s scheme to build a housing estate on one of its three sites divided opinion at a public exhibition.

King Alfred’s Academy held the drop-in session at the East Site, which it wants to sell off, on Tuesday.

Neighbours got their first glimpse of the 150-home estate, a mixture of houses and flats with green spaces.

The school plans to submit a full planning application for the scheme by the end of the year, and demolition could start in 2017.

The new estate, with more than 300 residents, could be completed by 2020.

Former King Alfred’s headteacher Simon Spiers, now executive head of the Vale Academy Trust which runs King Alfred’s and several other Wantage schools, said: “We need huge investment at Centre and West Site, and the only option to replace buildings is selling East Site.

“I am conscious that when these houses are built, I am still going to be here and I’m still going to have to get on with the community, so I want to make this estate the best it can be.”

Carol Clarke, who lives in Hallett Close, opposite the school’s Springfield Road entrance, said the estate would cause “intolerable” traffic congestion.

She said: “We already have too many houses in Wantage, we have newly-built houses being advertised for sale.”

Roy Doughty, who lives next door to the school in Harecourt, off Charlton Road, said the plan had too many houses for the size of the site.

The outline estate plan has been drawn up by the school’s planning agent, Oxford-based Strutt and Parker.

If it gets approval, the company will sell the site, with planning permission, to a housing developer.

King Alfred’s wants the money from the sale of East Site to fund new buildings at its Centre Site on Portway, which will allow it to take more students.

It would also replace some of its buildings at West Site in Challow Road.

Another reason for selling East Site is that for years teachers have had to travel across town between the three sites to get to their next class.

Former teacher Des Williams, who drew up the whole school timetable for 10 years, said it had been a “nightmare”.

He also sympathised with the school’s need to get money which was not forthcoming from the Government.

Vale of White Horse District Council will make the final decision on whether to allow the housing estate to be built.