A MAJOR redevelopment of a secondary school could see 11 wind turbines built to provide a fifth of its energy needs.

Detailed plans for the future of Richmond School have been unveiled.

The £32m scheme will include a combination of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing facilities at the site in Darlington Road.

The new campus is being built under the Government's Building Schools for the Future programme and is one of three Department for Education and Skills projects being used as an example to the rest of the country.

Project manager Faithful and Gould has designed the futuristic scheme alongside North Yorkshire County Council and engineering firm Atkins.

Under the proposals, the new school will be built using sustainable development principles.

There will be six 15-metre ground-mounted turbines on the north-east corner of the site or near the multi-use games area, and five six-metre roof mounted turbines.

There will also be solar panels and ground source heat pumps. It is intended that 20 per cent of the school's energy will be provided through renewable means.

Atkins has estimated that the proposals will remove up to 142 tonnes of carbon dioxide released each year.

A company spokesman said: "This site represents the opportunity to provide a comprehensive and cohesive development.

"The approach is to combine an integrated vision of school, landscape and modern construction technologies that aspire to principles of low-energy design and sustainable building practice.

"The new development will provide a memorable image for Richmond - the terraced and stepped nature of the overall form expressed as linked blocks, the variety of spaces and glimpsed views. All these features create an echo of the urban character and quality found in traditional towns and villages in North Yorkshire."

The new design incorporates an existing group of grade II-listed buildings which date from the 1940s, when they began life as the All Girls' High School.

The school has 1,700 students and 120 staff.