Issues over proposals for a “vital” new secondary school in Bury St Edmunds should have been ironed out well before they were debated by planners, it has been claimed.

Concerns have been raised over whether the Moreton Hall Academy, which is planned to open in September 2016, will be ready in time following a shock decision by Suffolk County Council’s development committee on Tuesday to reject the plans.

Suffolk County Council leader Colin Noble has since pledged the new school will open for students next September.

The academy, which will be run by the National Education Trust (NET), is a key part of the move to two-tier education in the Bury area and would address a reduction in pupil numbers in each year group at King Edward VI School.

The School Organisation Review (SOR), which Suffolk County Council started in 2006, will mean the closure of four middle schools in Bury next year.

The concerns raised by the council’s development control committee included the school’s proximity to neighbouring Rougham Airfield and nearby residential properties, as well as a lack of drop-off points for parents and cycleways and footpaths for students.

Moreton Hall county councillor Trevor Beckwith said: “The issues they were worried about - the drop-off points and access and all the rest of it - these have been raised by myself and the residents’ association and other people over quite a long time.

“The county had every opportunity to deal with it.”

But he said he was “fairly confident” the new school would be ready for September 2016.

Graham West, a committee member of the Moreton Hall Residents’ Association, said the association supported the school, but had concerns over the execution.

“We have had several conversations and meetings with the people who were responsible for the planning of it. Had they thought about it, they could have dealt with it,” he said.

However, Moreton Hall councillors Frank Warby, Pat Warby and Terry Buckle felt the plans should have been approved.

Mr Noble has said the amended plans should go back to the committee in July and the school should take six months to build.

A county council spokesman added the Secretary of State could potentially over-rule Tuesday’s decision.

Rachel Forward, head of school at Hardwick Middle School, which is set to close, said: “We will work really closely with the local authority and new school providers to make sure our parents and our children are reassured and they can get the best quality transition experience they can.”

She added she was aware there was a back-up plan for school places for her students in the event of the academy not being ready in time.

Mr Noble added: “We have listened to the views and concerns of local residents and the wider community throughout the planning process for this school and we continue to take their views seriously.”

He said it was for that reason the plans include a higher number of child drop-off access points compared with any other school in the county – something which was presented to the committee.

Further discussions are taking place between highways and planning teams to determine if there are any options available to reduce the issue of access further.

The NET declined to comment.