I'll leave village rather than see more building

PLANS FOR A NEW HIGH SCHOOL IS FINAL STRAW FOR RESIDENT

- SERENA RICHARDS

A RESIDENT who has lived in a village for 40 years says he's going to move away because of the number of planned developments in the area.

Tony Burrill has made the decision to leave Littleborough in Rochdale within the next year.

The 43-year-old, who works as an assistant manager at a care home, said: "I know there's development for schools, there was a high school for around 1,000 pupils and for me, that's really frustrating."

He said of the space: "It's where people go to walk their dogs, kids play around, and where I go for a walk when

I'm stressed. That was going ahead after Covid but the government put a stop to it for three years." In 2019, Lakeside Academy was one of the 22 new schools around the country to have been given the go-ahead to be built.

What would become Littleborough's first high school was planned to be developed on the playing field right behind Littleborough Primary School on Calderbrook Road.

Rochdale council bosses were delighted that the 750-place school - to be run by Star Academies - was seemingly signed off, saying it would reassure worried families and strengthen education in the borough.