COUNCILLORS have been urged to ignore the objections of residents and approve plans for a new "super school" in Folkestone.

A row over proposals to replace the failing Channel School with a modern building designed by Lord Foster took a new turn when Roger De Haan, former Saga boss and local benefactor, said the local council must balance the interests of the community as a whole rather than the interests of a "relatively small number of residents".

He warned that the town could lose the "iconic" Folkestone Academy if residents continue to press for changes.

Mr De Hann, who wants to transform the image of Folkestone, told business leaders at Folkestone's Leas Cliff Hall that the Government would not approve any more spending on the proposed academy. Apart from London, it was already the most expensive of all the UK's 200 academies.

Changes demanded by the Folkestone Academy Action Group, which is concerned about its proximity to Broadmead Village and the impact of possibly disruptive pupils, would cost money and that could jeopardise the whole project, he said. "They've drawn a line - they will not pay any more money."

The only viable site was the one that had been chosen. "The problem with that is it moves the school from an industrial site close to the leafy lanes of a middle class village and the residents that are very unhappy that this school might be built in their backyard.

"My appeal to the planners is that there is no reason in planning law why our school is not built where we're planning it and what the wise men and women on the council have to consider is the interests of the community as a whole rather than the interests of a relatively small number of residents. We keep our fingers crossed that that argument will work."

Mr De Haan acknowledged that at times, Channel School pupils had a bad reputation. But the new academy would be "an iconic modern beautiful building and which I believe will inspire the children and staff who work there."