A NEW £6.2 million Hampshire primary school is set to be given the final signing off when plans go to civic chiefs this week.

Construction work at the Chestnut Avenue Primary School, in Eastleigh, will start next spring, and is anticipated to meet demand from the new 1,100-home development at North Stoneham.

The school, which will be able to take 315 pupils, and is expected to be completed during the summer of 2020, ready to receive its first children in the following September.

Hampshire County Council confirmed that the school has been designed to allow for a “future, planned” expansion to two-form entry.

Outline planning permission for the scheme was approved last year.

Speaking to the Echo, Councillor Stephen Reid, education chief at Hampshire County Council, said: “With construction of over 1,000 new homes underway at North Stoneham in Eastleigh, this new school will mean we can offer families a place for their child, near to where they live.

“We have a strong track record in planning for the future and this £6.2 million project is part of our programme to provide 17,500 new school places across the county by 2021, with a planned investment of £140 million.

“Like all of the new schools and school expansions that we build, Chestnut Avenue Primary School will benefit from the expertise of the county council designers who have many years of experience, specialising in school buildings.

“As a result, we can be sure that the standard of facilities will be high and that teaching spaces will be created that encourage learning and skills development, while being sustainable and energy efficient at the same time. Because we can do so cost effectively, taxpayers can be confident that the best value for money is achieved.” Set on two levels, the school’s facilities will include 11 classrooms, group working rooms, a main hall, library and staff room.”

There will be play areas including a grass playing field, as well as a staff car parking, a bike shelter and a scooter park for pupils. The proposed new primary school will be a free school, as required by the Department for Education, and will be sponsored by the University of Winchester Academy Trust.

The plans will be discussed at the authority’s Regulatory Committee meeting at 10am on December 11. It will be held at the county council’s office in Winchester.