Residents have won a battle against a school's plans for a flood-lit games area thanks to falling numbers of pupils.

More than 120 people protested when Blackwell Primary School, East Grinstead, submitted plans for a multi-use playing field last year.

Now the proposals have been scrapped because the number of children coming to the school is expected to drop during the next three years.

Plans to rebuild the school with classrooms for 330 pupils have also been abandoned in favour of a smaller scheme for 240 pupils.

There are already seven unused classrooms at the school with the number of surplus places set to rise to 500.

West Sussex County Council has said the original plans were rethought after experts studied the demographics of the area.

The current school has room for 480 pupils but this year there are only 244 registered.

Headteacher Tony Markham said: "It's a bit sad that the school keeps getting smaller but we will continue to work very hard for the children who are here.

"There has never been any suggestion that the school will close.

"We just don't know why there are fewer school-age children here. It seems there is no room for more families to move in.

"The new plans seem to be a good balance between what the children need and what the wider community wants."

The project, which would have originally cost £2 million, is expected to be funded by the sale of 7,062sqm of playing fields for housing. If the existing school were not replaced, the council estimates it would need £500,000 worth of repairs.

However, the controversial move to sell off playing fields cannot go ahead until permission is granted by the Department for Education and Skills.

A council spokeswoman said: "The number of classes at Blackwell has been steadily declining in recent years.

"This, combined with the fact the school was built in the Fifties, means the buildings are expensive to maintain and in need of updating."

The revised consultation document will be available to the public for 11 weeks from September 13.

Copies can be obtained from the school on 01342 323906 or the council on 01243 753670.