PARENTS, shoppers and businesses in St John's have applauded the "fantastic" news that Christopher Whitehead High School will remain in their community.

Joan Tucker, of Georgina Avenue, St John's, attended the school in the 1940s and was pleased with the announcement.

"I think it staying here is a great idea," she said. "I used to go to the school myself and know its part of the community. It's important for the whole area to have a school here."

Alison Draper, of Middle Road, St John's, said: "It's fantastic news.

"I think that you will find that most people in the area will say that," said the 36-year-old. "The school is in the middle of St John's and we don't particularly want a Tesco on our doorsteps."

Caroline Griffiths, of Claverham Close, off Foley Road, St John's, has a 13-year-old son at the school.

"I'd much rather it stayed there and was refurbished," said the 33-year-old.

"My daughter will go there in two or three years and it would interfere massively with her schooling if it had moved because that site wouldn't be within walking distance of my house. But I do think the current site needs to be refurbished."

Margaret Stephens, who works in Colston Bakeries, on King Charles Place, said it would have been very bad for business had the superstore been allowed to open.

"The community will definitely benefit from the school staying," said the 52-year-old of Woodstock Road. "It has been here for as long as anyone can remember."

Anne Merriman agreed, saying the school was a settled part of the community.

"St John's is like a little village and the opening of Tesco would have affected everything," said the 53-year-old, from Hylton Road.

Bill Davison, a resident of Worboy's Road, St John's, said the ruling was a triumph of common sense.

His disabled son, Peter, is set to attend the school in two years' time.

He was scathing about council handling of the situation.

"The county council has ridden roughshod over the views of the people of St John's.

"Two hundred letters were sent to the council opposing the move, and they didn't pay any attention," said Mr Davison.

EDUCATION director Julien Kramer will go back to the drawing board over plans to relocate Christopher Whitehead High - but has promised pupils a new school.

Mr Kramer said that - irrespective of the failure of the Tesco bid, which would have seen the school rebuilt at Earls Court Farm outside the city centre - the council had committed itself to building a completely new school.

Though the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's report said the Bromwich Road site could be upgraded, Mr Kramer said split playing fields and flooding could never be resolved.

"It's enormously disappointing - a real blow to staff, governors and pupils," he said. "We thought we had a real opportunity to do something wonderful.

"The present site is very constrained. Frankly, the facilities are unsatisfactory and it would be better if we found a bigger site."

Although the county council has set aside £12m for the scheme, Mr Kramer said it was not enough to fund a new school.

He will now study the Tesco inquiry report, alongside planning officers and county councillors, and decide the next step.

"We need to debate about where, when and how we build the new school," he added.

"We need to look at our finances. Do we ask whether we can borrow more money? Do we do what we did in Bromsgrove with private finance initiatives?"

Neil Morris, who has been headteacher at the St John's school for 14 months, remained upbeat despite the ODPM's decision.

"This isn't a glum situation, it's moving forward at last," said Mr Morris.

Promised

"The county council has promised us a new school not a bodged-up site and not a refurbishment. I would just like the people of Worcester to get behind education.

"We're squabbling over Tesco and Sainsbury's, and where the school will be, when we should just be talking about what a fantastic opportunity a 21st Century school will be."

But Richard Udall - the Labour county councillor for St John's - has written to the council leader Dr George Lord, telling him of residents' "unrestrained joy" at the news and asking him not to appeal against Mr Prescott's decision.

"I urge you to tear up the remnants of the agreement with Tesco and to forget the idea of moving the school away from the heart of the community it currently serves," he wrote.

The discussion over the relocation of the school has lasted almost five years.

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