Former pupils are demanding that a school gets greater recognition as part of a new housing development.

Ex-students at Holmshill School in Borehamwood are dismayed that the new Hertsmere Mews housing development appears to have missed Holmshill out when it comes to street names.

A petition has been launched by one former student, which has gained 43 signatures

Darryl Jacobs said: “The names that have been chosen don’t do any justice to Holmshill or represent the presence that it held for more than 40 years.”

Borehamwood Times:

These are a list of street names that Mr Jacobs was sent

A number of street names have been put forward, including Nicholas Hawksmoor Drive, named after Nicholas Hawksmoor School, and Ark Avenue, named after the Ark Theatre at Hertswood School.

Mr Jacobs added: “It seems to be everywhere else but Holmshill which I think is a shame. After all Holmshill was there for 43 years. I think it is really quite disrespectful for the name to be airbrushed from history.”

The petition states that campaigners would like to see the msot prominent road in the development named 'Holmshill Way'.

Carolynne Luck added: “Not only did I go to the school but my dad was caretaker for about 5 years. So the whole site has so many memories for me. It would be nice to have a gesture to the school in the street names.”

Developers Bellway said it has undertaken a thorough 12 month consultation to ensure the choice of street names has been given “careful consideration”.

Head of sales at Bellway Homes, Greg Allsop, said: “The proposed road names were chosen following discussions with Hertsmere Borough Council and feedback from the community. The names commemorate a number of schools in the area including Holmshill featuring names such as first headmasters and house names of the class of 2017.

“Having completed this consultation period, the street names were shared with key bodies such as the land registry and the emergency services.”

As house buyers are beginning to move in in the next couple of months, Mr Allsop said it is not possible to make any changes.

However, Bellway said they understand the former pupils’ concerns and have offered to name a green open space within the development, ‘Holmshill Green’, with nine trees set to commemorate past pupils.

Cllr John Graham, responsible for finance and property at Hertsmere Borough Council, added: "Whilst it was open to the applicants to suggest building and street names, they chose to leave it to us to name and number in line with our policy. 

"This is a process which always  includes consultation with Royal Mail, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue, Elstree Screen Heritage and the local ward members and, with this application, there were no objections from any consultees and a street naming scheme was duly arranged.

"The scheme did seek to commemorate the history of the site and combine school names."