PUPILS at a primary school in a town in Oxfordshire will have to spend another five years learning in a temporary building.

Oxfordshire County Council submitted a request to Cherwell District Council to renew permission for a modular unit - also known as a Portakabin - to be used at Bure Park Primary School.

The building is currently split into two classrooms, but despite Bicester Town Council objecting, saying it is a 'poor standard premises', Cherwell approves.

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The town council had 'serious concerns' about the building and would have preferred that permission not be granted and a purpose-built replacement be constructed instead.

It said the ramp leading up to the main entrance is dangerous, that there is rotten wood in the structure and a smell of dampness.

Other problems include maintenance costs and no toilets, with children having to go outside to access facilities.

Consent was originally granted for the classrooms at the school off Lucerne Avenue in 2006 and was renewed on November 21, 2011.

That permission expired on November 21, 2016 and now the county council has renewed it again for a further five years.

The unit was re-located from Gosford Hill school in Oxford and provides space for 60 children to work while the main building contributes 420 spaces.

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Bicester Town Council said it had concerns for the effect on children being educated in 'poor standard premises'.

Oxfordshire County Council, as part of its application, assessed its condition in August last year and identified areas that needed work.

In its report it said that the balustrade, handrails and newel posts were firm, but all in need of preparation and repainting.

It also noted that the main entrance ramp was cause for concern, as the floor section was 'very soft' under foot with 'considerable flexing' and the school had placed a plastic trench plate over the worst area.

Another area of concern was the external coating on the plywood wall cladding which had disintegrated over much of the surface area.

It said work to the ramp floor should be carried out before the classrooms were used again last September.

However, Oxfordshire County Council does understand that the cabin is not suitable to be permanent.

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Therefore the condition of the permission is that after five years, the building will have to be removed from the site and the land will be restored to its former condition on or before that date.

It says keeping the building in the meantime is necessary to support educational needs.

In its justification letter, it says: "While Bure Park Primary School’s Admission Number remains at 70, our professional conclusion is that OCC needs to retain the modular building as an essential element of the accommodation.

"It is required for the school’s teaching and delivery of the National Curriculum, in order for the school to organise the number of classes required to accommodate its current Admission Number."