RESIDENTS are to have their say on the potential design of Southampton’s first-ever four-to-16 school.

Plans for an all-through school which will see a new 900-place secondary school built on the St Mark’s Primary School and neighbouring ex-civil service playing fields sites in Freemantle were given the go ahead in July 2018.

Now civic chiefs said that residents can feedback on the potential design of the building during a consultation set to be held in July this year. 

They also said the scheme is due to complete for the start of the school term in September 2022.

The all-through school will provide 24 nursery places, 420 primary spaces and 900 secondary places.

Southampton City Council said the project is on schedule and the Governance Committee is set to be given an update at its next meeting on April 15.

A spokesperson for the city council said the overall budget for the scheme including all contingencies is £39.8m.

As reported, the news comes after the authority promised to create 1,500 new secondary places in the central region of the city by 2023.

Speaking about the scheme Councillor Darren Paffey, cabinet member for education, said the central part of Southampton is where the greatest demand for school places will be in the coming years and the authority is determined to ensure all children and young people get the best start in life “by providing sufficient high quality school places”.

The council had previously said the Freemantle site has been identified as highly appropriate because “it has the potential to accommodate 900 pupils and it is centrally located, where demand is highest”.

A spokesperson for the authority said the first stage of the scheme has now been completed and added: “Work is underway on RIBA Stage 2 (Concept Design). This will include a Stage 2 Feasibility Report which will be published in June and will form part of the consultation and engagement events being planned for early July.”