A CONCERNED councillor has called for a soon-to-be empty village school to be used for community use.

Bromsgrove district councillor John Tidmarsh (Con-Stoke Prior) said Redgrove School, in Shaw Lane, should be preserved before a "golden opportunity" was missed.

At Monday night's Stoke Parish Council meeting Cllr Tidmarsh said: "I feel Stoke has had a raw deal for facilities. Now we have a school in the centre of the village, which will be available in the summer.

"We have a fair amount of anti-social behaviour going on because youngsters are bored. I feel this building will provide a good opportunity to get together to see what we can do for the benefit of the community."

He added: "In parts of the village kids are making life unpleasant for people and I am not prepared to accept that. I am appealing for joint action on this."

But parish councillor Sean Shannon said he thought there was enough provision for villagers.

"We have facilities including a village hall and social club and by having the school as well it could be over provision," he said.

"Having looked at the building an excellent idea would be to provide apartments. Part of it could be kept similar to sheltered housing schemes where there is a communal room for use by the community."

Redgrove School is set to close in July and then re-open in September in Redditch.

sarahmawhinney@midlands.

newsquest.co.uk