A new first school for Morpeth has been given the green light.
Members of the county council’s strategic planning committee gave unanimous backing to the £7m scheme to replace the ageing Morpeth First School with a brand new educational facility on the former fire station site next to County Hall.
There will be a new two-storey school, external play areas, a multi-use games area (MUGA) and parking for 78 vehicles.
The scheme include the provision of classrooms, including an outdoor one on the roof, and other facilities such as a main hall, studio, staff rooms, offices, kitchen and toilets. The school will also provide a community space at ground-floor level, accessible outside school hours and available to the public for events.
Planning approval follows a Cabinet meeting in November when the County Council approved funding for the new school on land of the former fire station.
The £6.85m scheme is due to be completed by September 2019.
Councillor Wayne Daley, cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “Throughout this project we’ve been working closely with local parents, staff at the school, residents and the wider community in Morpeth to consult on the new development.
“As a council which committed to delivering the best possible educational environment to the young people of Northumberland this is a fantastic milestone and we look forward to work starting soon on the new state-of-the-art school.”