HOLD-UPS at Stratford District Council's planning department are threatening Bidford's proposed new school.

That was the message from the village's county councillor Brian Slaughter at Monday's parish council meeting.

He said: "Unfortunately it now looks like that instead of opening in 2001 we're looking at 2002 if we're lucky."

Councillor Slaughter told the parish council: "The planning officers are taking over seven months to reach a decision."

Warwickshire County Council plans to build a primary school, library and nursery on land off Wilkes Way, donated by Beazer Homes.

The parish council has a partnership with the county council to also build a community meeting room on the site.

The county council plans to fund the project by selling the existing school's Victoria Road site and another site next to the fire station to housing developers.

Before it can do that Stratford District Council must grant outline residential planning permission for the sites.

Coun Slaughter said the county submitted applications at the turn of the year but permission had not yet been granted.

In addition to that, he said the district council wanted to see a new sports or community hall included in the project.

He said planners did not know the village as it already had the Crawford hall, and other meeting rooms.

"You certainly don't need a another community hall," he said.

He added that the district's demand that 30% of any housing which might go ahead at Victoria Road should be social housing was also unhelpful, claiming it would reduce the land's value and the money available to the county to pay for the school.

Yesterday (Wednesday), the district council's planning officer Tony Horton said the Avon Area planning committee was likely to consider the applications on September 21.

He would not comment on coun Slaughter's statements.