HOUSES will probably be built on the Wombwell High School site, a chief council officer admitted this week.

Speaking at Monday's area forum, Tom Storey said parts of the site are likely to be sold off when the school shuts in 2011.

He hinted that the playing fields would be retained as he stressed it wasn’t the council’s intention to replace all of Wombwell’s open spaces with houses.

He said: “I’m not going to lie. Parts of the site will probably go for housing. But there’s no way they would even let us take it all up for housing. It's likely the fields will stay and be available for the community to use.”

Mr Storey came in for strong criticism as he spoke of plans to merge Darfield Foulstone and Wombwell High, with the proposed 1,800-pupil superschool going on the old Darfield Main Colliery site at Low Valley.

One Wombwell man said: “Pupils who live in Hemingfield, Jump and the top end of Wombwell will have a right trek to go to Low Valley. It would have made more sense to me to build on the Wombwell High School site.”

Mr Storey added: “We have to put the school somewhere. If we put it in Wombwell then Darfield children have a long way to travel and we’re never going to completely please everyone."

Outline planning permission will be sought next month and a decision should be made later this year.