LOCAL authorities have been lambasted by parents for not ensuring the number of primary school places matches housing growth.
As part of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council's Horley Masterplan, 2,600 new homes are planned for the town.
While Surrey County Council has planned two new primary schools for the area – Trinity Oaks in The Acres and a second proposed for the stalled north west sector development – parents in Horley believe this is not enough.
Lois Hill, of Haroldslea Drive, Horley, is angry because her three-year-old son Dominic has recently been offered a place at Burstow Primary School, a 50-minute walk away.
She said: "I think the year he was born was a baby boom year and they haven't put into action the spaces.
"There's also all the new buildings, like The Acres, that have been going on over the past four or five years, so we have got more families moving into Horley and they are only building one school here which is only taking 30 kids.
"They have not taken into consideration where all these new families are going to go and where the children are going to go."
Another parent, Kirsty Allen, of Whittaker Drive, has also suggested the lack of primary places is connected to the recent growth of housing in the town.
Mrs Allen, whose daughter Elsa has been refused a place at three of Horley's schools, said: "The council knew two years ago that there were not enough places.
"They are not putting the infrastructure into the town to support the planning permission that they are granting.
"We want our children to go to school in our home towns."
Peter Boarder, Horley Regeneration project manager at Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, said: "The Horley Masterplan, which forms part of the borough council's 2005 Local Plan, identifies the need to provide two one-form entry primary schools to accommodate the additional need that will be generated from new development in Horley. These new schools are planned in each of the two new neighbourhoods.
"The first of these schools is being built in the north east sector and will be open by September 2014. The second will be built in the north west sector, when the need arises. In addition, the need for new secondary school places will be accommodated in the future through the expansion of Oakwood School.
"Contributions are being provided from all the developers to provide these extra places."
A spokesman for Surrey County Council said "We are delighted to be supporting the establishment of a new primary school in Horley from September, part of our £330 million investment over five years in new school places to cope with the growing population. The first of two new schools planned in the area, Trinity Oaks will provide 30 places in September, which has enabled us to make reasonable offers to all Horley applicants."
