FUTURISTIC plans for a school and community building in a honeypot Lake District village have been rejected by national park planning chiefs.

Grasmere Church of England School wanted to replace its Victorian building with a single storey structure, which used ‘free-form’ pods as part of the design.

Lake District National Park Authority planning officers recommended the proposal be approved, but members of the Development Control Committee rejected the plan.

At their meeting they felt the new look school would harm the character of the Grasmere conservation area and they believed the design to be incongruous.

They also felt it would pose a risk to the community and argued it went against a number of planning regulations.

Committee member John Hayton described the design as “an alien spaceship” which “belongs more in an urban environment or a space museum than in the national park”.

Fellow Committee member John Clarkson said: “I’m concerned and bemused. How did our officers decide that this would fit in and not stick out like a sore thumb?

“I find the design very offensive. This would be a carbuncle on Grasmere.”

As well as creating a new school the plans also included a building to house community services, such as a post office, tourist information centre and a doctor’s surgery.

The old school building would have been replaced with affordable housing.

Andrew Leech, of Pye Lane, who attended the school as a child and now has a son at the school, spoke against the plans. He said he had mixed feelings about the proposal getting rejected.

“It is a real shame that we got to this point,” he said. “I fully support the school and I will do anything to get a new school for my children.

“I just believe that this design is wrong for the village.”

Johanna Goode, headteacher at Grasmere CE School, who told the committee that the school had the opportunity to create something unique, said she was dissapointed with the decision.

“I’m disappointed for the children because they would have loved that building and it would have been perfect for learning,” she said.

Rev Cameron Butland, head of governors at the school, said an appeal against the decision would be lodged.

“I’m disappointed for the community of Grasmere as it puts these services under threat,” he said.

“It could be very bad news for the village.”