PLANS for the new Sherston School will be on display in the village hall this week after being submitted for planning approval to the district council.

The £1.64 million, single-storey school on land at Upper Stanbridge Farm is expected to be completed by September 2004 and building work could begin this August if the plans get the seal of approval from North Wiltshire District Council.

Headteacher Nicholas Bowditch said the school is looking forward to moving to the new site when it is completed. Chairman of governors Richard Knibb said he is very happy with the way the plans are progressing.

He said: "We have just seen the first elevation pictures that the architects have done and we are very pleased with them. There has been considerable negotiations with staff at the school and county about the interior layout of the school; we are very happy with it."

Mobile classrooms are being used in the current school, off the High Street, because of a lack of space.

The plans for a new school address the problem with six classrooms, a school hall and rooms for administration as well as a staff car park.

Additional land behind the school will be used as playing fields and safe routes to school have also been included that will encourage children to walk and cycle to their daily lessons.

The plans will be on display this Sunday and next Sunday in the village hall from 8am until noon and there will be a parish council meeting on June 12 at 7.30pm to discuss the council's response to the plans.

Originally, the school had planned a £1.37million scheme to add a four-class extension to the existing building and to upgrade it.

But last September after more money than expected was raised from the sale of land at Manor Close and Butler's Close, which Bryant Homes bought for £3million, Wiltshire County Council endorsed proposals for a completely new school to be bought with half of the cash. The remaining money will be used to reduce the county council's pension deficit.

Moves to add the pre-school onto the building, touted in March, have had to be shelved after the pre-school decided the £100,000 cost of an extra room and the short amount of time they had to find the money were prohibitive.

The county council is not responsible for pre-school provision and so could not foot the bill.