AS a group of protestors against the removal of our local Christopher Whitehead High School, we would like to fully endorse the decision of the city council in its resolve to reject the county council application for the school's relocation.

The city council is in a much stronger and knowledgeable position to decide on the needs of the community as they are at a more grassroots level of understanding of their communities' needs.

It is surely totally irrational to demolish the school, at the centre of our community and placing it on the edge of the city boundary without a thought to the pupils who will have to travel an even greater distance to their school, coping with the traffic on an already dangerously overcrowded route.

It is also surely obvious that the number of cars will increase dramatically at school start and finish times, as parents from north, south and east of the city will be taking their children to school. The present centrally-located position is ideal for all pupils in the catchment area to make their way there and back.

There is also the question of the loss of a community facility that is heavily utilised. We doubt that this patronage would continue at the proposed new site, which is well out of walking distance.

We say no, city council says no, local residents say no and plain common sense says no. Leave it there.

CHRISTOPHER MARK HUGHES,

on behalf of CHRISS,

(Community Has Rights in School Site).