RESIDENTS will not be asked for their opinions on parking facilities affecting a nearby school after a 'misleading' questionnaire insinuated a development would go ahead at the site.

Bournemouth Borough Council issued a questionnaire to parents of St Michael's School last week suggesting that flats will be built at Durley Road car park despite plans not yet being approved.

Trevor Sills, the transportation development manager, issued an apology to parents who identified the wording to confirm that "no decision has been made on the current planning application".

"For this I apologise," he said in a statement published by the Daily Echo and forwarded to the school for their notice board.

But parents have since called for a review of the original questionnaire in the hope they can have their say over the plans.

If Durley Road car park is built on, parents will have to find elsewhere to drop off and pick up their children for the neighbouring school.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said: "I still think it was an extraordinary questionnaire and I have said to the council that I don't think they should use any data they collect from it.

"I feel the questionnaire should be rewritten and repeated."

Another unnamed parent said: "I think the whole thing is really rather ridiculous. How can they ask anyone to make a decision on such matters when they present us with - frankly - a really poor set of questions that confuse the situation?"

Durley Road car park is yet another car park under threat of development. Plans have been floating to build 400 flats with parking as well as shops at the Winter Gardens car park, where there would be a multi-storey car park, and a development has been approved for flats at St Stephen's Road car park in the town centre.