13325/2MALMESBURY Primary School will get a new £2.5m school building after a deal involving up to 150 houses at Filands and Tetbury Hill was given the go-ahead.

The plans were given permission by North Wiltshire District Council in March but were referred to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister for final approval.

The Government department this week announced it would not be investigating the outline application from Wiltshire County Council, effectively giving the scheme planning permission.

The money for the new school will be raised from the £7m the county council hopes to get from the sell-off of the former comprehensive school site at Filands and land in front of the school's present site at Tetbury Hill.

The £4.5m remainder will be used to pay off the county council's debt to the PFI project used to build the new comprehensive school at Corn Gastons.

In a recent Ofsted report inspectors said the primary school's building was hindering progress.

The school uses mobile classrooms to accommodate its 340 pupils. Under the new scheme its present buildings will be demolished and a new 14-classroom school building built on land behind it.

Headteacher Jeff Staton said: "The news we are going to have a new school is really exciting.

"Hopefully it will create something the community will be really proud of. Our biggest problem at the moment is we use mobile classrooms but the new school will mean all the children will be in the same building."

"It will also give us an opportunity to put new technology in. Teachers are using interactive white boards and we would like to extend that through the rest of the school."

County councillor John Thomson said: "I made the commitment to try to get a new primary school in my election campaign. I am very pleased I have delivered on something I promised.

"Since my election three years ago there has been a new secondary school, a new primary school in Malmesbury and a new primary school in Sherston."

Mr Thomson said: "I am fully aware of the concerns in the community about extra housing but I feel this development will do three things. It will provide a payment for the secondary school of £4.5m and £2.5m for a brilliant new primary school, as benefits from the housing. It will also provide the entire affordable housing needs for Malmesbury.

Mr Thomson said the development of the new school would be done in conjunction with parents and staff.

But Malmesbury town council, which has opposed the scheme, said the cost in terms of development was too much. Mayor Patrick Goldstone said: "A new primary school is wonderful and a great, great thing to have. My concern is the development at Filands.

"What we are opposed to is the development on the whole site, both brownfield and greenfield. It is creating a nasty precedent for other greenfield developments for that part of town.

I do not think the town will be able to cope with such an increase in housing in one fell swoop."

An original plan had the new primary school building on the Filands site but a survey of parents revealed support for it to be placed on the school's present site.

The leader of the county council's cabinet, Jane Scott, said: "The county council has responded to local views regarding the need to replace these schools and regarding their locations. These new schools will help our teachers to give the best possible opportunities to young people in Malmesbury.