DEAF charity Sign this week sent off its appeal against Wycombe District Council's refusal to allow development in the 21-acre grounds of Penn School.

The charity's chief executive Steve Powell is also meeting planning and conservation officers from the district council, and highways officers from Buckinghamshire County Council, in another bid to find an application that will find favour with councillors.

The public appeal and consideration of the amended planning application could then proceed at the same time.

The appeal could cost the charity about £40,000 but Mr Powell said he was already getting offers of help.

Last week the district council's planning, environment and transportation committee voted, on the casting vote of chairman Chris Oliver, not to allow development in the school grounds on green belt and highways grounds.

Betty Lay, who is a Conservative district councillor for Tylers Green, and chairman of the planning applications panel which twice backed the development, supports the scheme and says the school must be saved.

She is optimistic, now that officers are meeting Sign to look at a way forward, that they can some up with an amended scheme that will get council support.

She said: "This won't go away."

Cllr Lay added that although the argument last week had not been pleasant, it had made people wake up to the fact that there was a problem.

If a new application is agreed it will still have to be referred to the Government Office for the South East, because it involves building on green belt land which is not in line with council policy.

See future for Penn looks grim after plans to redevelop Penn School were rejected