TEACHERS may move into a farm building to stop housing problems at a north Hampshire private school.

Lord Wandsworth College has applied to convert a disused farm building on its Long Sutton estate into two-storey flats, each with separate gardens. The school, once an agricultural college, is set amongst 850 acres of farmland.

In its application to Hart District Council, the school said that nearly all of its teachers live on site to care for pupils “around the clock”.

André Usborne, college bursar, wrote: “In recent years, we have had long-serving families move away where the husband and wife both taught here to be replaced by two teachers each having their own families.

“There is always a lottery and over time it generally it evens out, but recently we have had to hire accommodation off-site for families as no suitable accommodation was available within the campus.”

The application detailed how private accommodation has been supplied for teachers in boarding houses, and the school has had to ask three or four single members of staff to share a house.

Mr Usborne added: “The farm building is a neglected resource waiting for a sympathetic conversion.”