THE school where an Olympic rowing gold medallist started her career is planning a £2.5m investment in new sporting facilities.

Yarm School intends to construct a new boat house, boat storage facility and a full-sized floodlit all-weather sports surface for hockey and tennis.

The scheme has recently been given the go ahead by Stockton Borough Council.

Since former pupil Kat Copeland won in London 2012 the sport has become ever more popular at the school.

The boathouse, which will be on stilts, projecting towards the banks of the River Tees, will provide a training facility for rowers, changing rooms, offices and a viewing gallery for events on the river and the astroturf. It will house up to a dozen boats, including single sculls, fours and eights.

Nathan Adams, the school’s head of rowing, said: “I am delighted that our new boathouse has now been given the green light. We are all really excited about it and I am pleased that it will help us to meet the increasing demands of the club’s popularity.

“Many Yarm pupils go on to gain representative honours at regional level for the North. Since 2006, Yarm has always had representation in the GB junior teams, including four pupils who rowed for team GB at the Youth Olympics, Sydney. Students also compete and win medals at many regattas and head of the river races up and down the country.”