A HAMPSHIRE school has been accused of destroying the case planners were preparing to put to a public inquiry next month.

New Forest District Council says Durlston Court School, Barton-on-Sea, has done a U-turn over plans to build houses on one of its sports fields.

The council claims the school has changed its mind after initially claiming the proposed estate would leave it short of open space.

Councillors rejected the housing scheme last year in a bid to protect sports provision at Durlston Court.

Senior planning officers have been preparing for an inquiry resulting from the applicant's decision to lodge an appeal.

Now the council has decided to invite a new application for housing.

The saga began when the MacLellan Trust asked the council for planning permission to build homes on a playing field at Durlston Court.

The school said it would have to fell preserved trees on its other sports field to make up for the loss of land. But an application to remove the trees was refused by a government planning inspector, who said they were an important part of the landscape.

The council subsequently rejected the trust's proposal to build 45 homes beside the school.

Planning committee members said the residential development, coupled with the preservation of the trees, would leave Durlston Court with a serious shortage of pitches.

But the school has now denied that the homes and trees will affect its sports provision, according to a council statement.

The governors said they never suggested the school would experience problems if houses were built on part of its land.

"We simply needed the council's help to re-work what was left," said spokesman Tony Sinclair.

Referring to the inquiry, Mr Sinclair said the council had "painted itself into a corner" and was trying to escape by blaming the school.