HUNDREDS of homeowners are to be made aware of plans for a £34m "education village" to be created on their doorsteps.

Darlington is at the forefront of Government proposals to use private funds to establish super-schools, which will take children aged three to 16.

The campus, which will be built on the site of the town's Haughton Community College, will be the first of its kind in the country built using a Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

It will amalgamate three schools - Haughton comprehensive, Springfield primary and Beaumont Hill Special School - all on one site.

Education bosses at Darlington Borough Council are telling nearby residents about the likely impact of the project.

About 300 homes will receive details today, outlining numerous aspects of the scheme. It will cover car parking and access to the site, saying the successful bidder for the contract will have to submit a school travel plan, and cycling schemes.

A section of the work is also expected to include safe crossing facilities on main roads leading to the site.

Access for vehicles will come from Salters Lane South, with traffic-calming measures and improvements for pedestrians expected.

Sports facilities are also included, with a council report saying that enough grassed pitches will be needed to meet the needs of the three schools, as well as local teams which use Haughton.

Crime-fighting measures are also to be installed on the site, the report says.

"Developers must give consideration to a package of measures such as security, lighting, planting and surveillance cameras," it says.

"The council will expect detailed discussions to have taken place with the police architectural liaison officer so that measures to design out crime are integral to the final design."

It adds that construction and demolition work will be extensive and activity should be restricted to normal working hours.

Officials are hoping that the education village will be established by 2005.