PRIMARY school pupils in Bicester were given the chance to show how they wanted their town designed in a special lesson run by developers.

Year Four pupils from Bure Park School in Lucerne Avenue visited the site of the new Kingsmere Estate before drawing up plans for the gardens behind the Whitelands Farm buildings.

Scott Young, clerk of the works at Countryside Properties, said the exercise was aimed at getting the youngsters to understand the thought behind planning a large housing development.

He said: “We want to engage with the community and get these children involved with what is going on and show them what it is like to work on a building site “At the end of the day the whole of the area will belong to these children.”

Mr Young said he was impressed with the pupils’ designs, adding: “Our landscape contractor came out and he couldn’t believe they were done by kids.

“Ideas included a solar heated swimming pool – you don’t expect them to think about things like that.”

Work started on the Kingsmere estate in February and 1,650 homes will be built in the development the over the next ten years.