Proposals to place a primary school next to the new health centre were a key issue in last year’s local elections and pitted Oakhill residents against Surbiton parents.

Conservative councillors who opposed the plans lost their Surbiton Hill seats to the Liberal Democrats.

In a council consultation last spring, 60 per cent of respondents approved the proposed location.

Surbiton parent Paul Cheattle said: “Surbiton is a nice place to live and you can’t blame people for wanting to live there. Families are part of the community and it’s quite right for us to expect a school.”

Graham Goldspring of the Oakhill and District Residents’ Association said: “I think particularly those who live further away would be less affected and more supportive of it.

“It’s not nimbyism. All the way down the line we have said we need a new school. We just [disagree with] the location of the school next to the health centre. It is too small a site and there are other sites available.”