A campaign group has been launched to counter what it describes as "biased" literature being circulated by opponents of a controversial new school building.
Give Osterley Opportunity (GOO) was set up to make the case for Nishkam School West London's proposed move to the old Conquest Club sports ground in Osterley.
Plans for a new school building at the site, in Syon Lane, to accommodate 1,400 students, have been criticised by the Keep Osterley Green (KOG) protest group, which is concerned about the loss of green land and extra traffic on already congested roads.
But the founders of GOO have accused KOG of propagating "misinformation" to support its case against the choice of location.
They have taken umbrage at KOG's claims that the majority of pupils would be travelling to the Sikh free school from outside the area and are therefore likely to come by car.
GOO says figures from the school, which show 85% of existing pupils live within the borough of Hounslow, suggest most students would be local.
But KOG argues that few of those pupils live around Osterley and the majority are likely to come from Heston, Hounslow or Cranford, where there is a larger Sikh community, or from just over the borough boundary in Southall and Norwood Green.
KOG has collected more than 1,200 signatures on a petition opposing the plans but GOO says it has gathered more than 1,200 letters of support.
GOO says it was formed by residents of Osterley to support not just Nishkam's new school building plans but the development of new schools in Hounslow generally, including the HIP School, Floreat Brentford, and the Green School for Boys, to meet the demand for school places.
However, its website largely refers to Nishkam's plans.
'We, and the silent majority, support the excellent new school projects...'
Ravinder Singh, one of the founders of GOO, said: "The group was started when residents around Osterley started receiving literature through the letterbox from KOG and others that seemed biased against the proposed new Nishkam school; for example saying that pupils of the school would not be local when 85% of current pupils are residents of Hounslow. We think it is important that there is a balanced debate.
"We, and the silent majority, support the excellent new school projects being planned for Hounslow and recognise the intense effort it takes to set up new schools, largely on a voluntary basis by educational organisations. We have therefore formed a group that supports education for local pupils and have to date have collected over 1,200 letters of support."
The Nishkam School Trust said more than 220 people attended a public exhibition on Tuesday (September 8) about its plans for the Conquest Club site, which were recently amended to address concerns raised by some members of the public.
Brin Mahon, chair of governors at Nishkam School West London, said he was very pleased with the turnout and urged everyone to have their say about the proposals during the consultation period.
Around 80 members of KOG held a brief demonstration outside Osterley Park Hotel, where the meeting took place.
David Pavett, who is a member of the group, said there was very little at the exhibition which was new.
He also accused the school of using "PR trickery" in the wording of its survey and said a number of residents had seen one man apparently filling out a number of the response forms.
He added that the school's decision to engage the PR company Forty Shillings suggested that KOG was winning the argument.
Mr Singh, of GOO, said he was "thoroughly encouraged" by the plans at the exhibition, adding that the school appeared to be "the ideal environment in which to educate the next generation".
"Looking at the plans and speaking to Nishkam team about their passion for educating, it is hard to understand how anyone could oppose this excellent new school for Osterley," he added.
Nishkam School West London is currently based at an old office block in London Road, Isleworth, but will soon outgrow those premises as it continues to expand each year.
Brentford & Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury has said she is "very concerned" about the proposed location for the new school building, which is also known as the White Lodge site.
For more about plans for the new school, visit www.nishkamschooltrust.org/anewhomefornishkam.
For more about the rival campaign groups see http://keeposterleygreen.org/ and www.giveosterleyopportunity.co.uk.
