Controversial plans for a free school in Whitton with the majority of places reserved for children halfway across the borough have gone up for consultation.

Turing House opened this September at a temporary site in Teddington but the Russell Education Trust, which runs the school, plans to move to a permanent site in Whitton, close to the border with Hounslow, in 2018.

However, 80% of places at the secondary school would continue to go to children closest to its admissions point in Teddington , with only 20% for people living near the new location some two miles away, under current proposals.

The school says the new site, a patch of land just off Hospital Bridge Road which is owned by Hounslow Council and currently used for grazing horses, is the closest available to its current location.

It argues it is only fair to reserve the majority of places for people living around Teddington as that is where the demand was identified in the first place and where most of those who supported the school's application to open live.

The school, which is also considering increasing its capacity from 1,050 to 1,400 to meet the demand for school places, this week invited people to have their say as it launched a seven-week consultation on Wednesday (December 9).

"Slight mess up"

But even the consultation has been mired in controversy after initially appearing last Wednesday only to be taken down the same day with no explanation.

The school insists the consultation only appeared last week by mistake as it was uploaded as part of a test run and there was not meant to be a public link available.

But some members of the public believe it was taken down after a link was posted on a local Facebook page and opponents began submitting their comments.

Turing House headteacher Colin Mackinlay said there had been a "slight mess up" but that the school was keen for everyone to have their say, which is why it is running the consultation for seven weeks rather than the statutory six.

"The consultation is up now and I'm sure there will be lots of public comments and discussion about it," he told getwestlondon .

"The school was set up because of a point of demand in a part of the authority and the authority in general. There was a gap there with no school to fill it but we're equally aware you can't have a school and not accept any pupils from around it, which is why we're proposing an 80/20 split. We're asking people should we change that?"

Regarding the proposed expansion, he said all headteachers in the borough had been asked to consider increasing their intake to meet the projected demand, and doing so would mean more places for children living in and around Whitton.

One parent, who lives in Whitton and asked not to be named, said: "They're still proposing to have just 20% of places for children living near the school, which a lot of people around here will be unhappy about.

"They're also proposing to increase the school's size by a third, yet we haven't heard anything about their travel plan to address congestion."

Richmond Council said in August, when Whitton was confirmed as the new site, that it welcomed the announcement but would continue to push for a "fairer admissions policy" for Whitton and Heathfield residents.

* You can view the consultation and take part here .