A SCHOOL opened by a fundamentalist Christian group in Lower Bourne without planning consent will be allowed to stay, after successful appeals against enforcement action taken by Waverley Council and against the council's refusal of planning consent. An appeal inspector, who conducted an inquiry in January, has ruled in favour of the Three Counties Education Trust, which bought a large three-storey house in Frensham Road, converted it and opened the school in September 2003 for children of The Brethren. The Brethren, also known as The Plymouth Brethren, is a group which rejects computers and most forms of electronic media because they believe that they dominate society and lead to violence and corruption. Because of their beliefs, children of The Brethren are taught at home or in schools governed by their community. A planning application for the school was turned down by Waverley three months after it opened, and an enforcement notice was issued last August requiring the school to close. However, after an adjournment during the appeal inquiry itself, the council indicated that it would not oppose the granting of planning consent, subject to certain conditions. Among these conditions, which the inspector has agreed to impose, are the implementation of a "green travel plan" to limit the number of vehicles using the access through the use of school mini-buses and a car pool. The trust will also have to sign a formal planning agreement under which it will not seek further development on the site, except within a defined area close to the existing school. The number of children on the school roll must not exceed 65 and the premises must not be open to children outside the hours of 8 am to 4-15 pm on weekdays and must remain closed at weekends and during the school holidays. The inspector made clear that his decision had been reached to a large extent because of characteristics peculiar to the development and the trust. These include the special transport arrangements, "the unusually close financial and social relationship" between the parents and the school, and the small size of the school and the classes within it. Several local residents objected to the school on the grounds of highway safety, both in written representations and at the inquiry. But the inspector, in his ruling, dismissed the suggestion that the area was an accident "black spot" and said traffic speeds and flows were "typical of roads of this standard and location". Simon Rich, one of the school trustees, wished to make no comment this week other than to say that the school was pleased by the decision and happy with the conditions imposed. He confirmed, however, that the trust would not now be pursuing its bid for alternative premises in Thundery Hill, Seale. Its application for the conversion of a house was turned down by Guildford Borough Council on traffic grounds last October.