LONG-awaited plans for a new primary school in a village have been officially submitted.
Durham County Council agreed to move forward with the proposal to build a new school in Bowburn in 2018, when it also set aside £8m.
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It has now submitted a planning application for the new building in Surtees Avenue, which will cater for rising numbers of children living in the village.
The building will provide a base for the newly created Bowburn Primary School, which amalgamates the existing junior and infant school.
The existing junior school, which will be demolished when the new building on the Surtees Avenue site is ready
Cllr Olwyn Gunn, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “The proposed new school would represent a significant investment in the education of children in Bowburn.
"Providing education for children aged three to eleven, the modern building would bring additional positive opportunities for teaching and learning and relieve some of the pressure on school places in the area.”
Independent county councillor Jan Blakey, who is also a governor at both the infants and junior school in Bowburn, said: "Hopefully it will be all singing and all dancing. The plans look good.
"We've had some delays but we're getting there now."
The new school will have places for 540 primary school-aged children and a 70 place nursery.
It will have 18 classrooms and two nursery rooms, as well as a number of informal teaching spaces, a main hall and studio and offices.
The application also includes plans for a new car parking and parent drop off area, to the east of the site, as well as spaces for bicycles and scooters.
It will be on the same site as the existing junior school, which will be demolished when the new building is completed.
The amalgamation is set to take place this year but the school will continue to operate on both sites until the new building is ready.
The plans were largely welcomed by members of the community during a consultation, which took place in 2017.
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