BOROUGH politicians have given a £14million scheme to amalgamate two private schools on one site at Florence Nightingale's former home a tick of approval.

Southern area planning members unanimously backed the United Church Schools Foundation Ltd plans to build a new state-of-the-art junior school and a new specialist teaching block and refectory for the present Embley Park senior school.

Embley Park's headteacher David Chapman said the new hi-tech school and the modern additional facilities would be ready for use in September 2006. And to reflect the merger of the two schools, the names Embley Park School and the Atherley will soon disappear. From this September the combined school will be known as the Hampshire Collegiate School.

Mr Chapman said after Tuesday's decision: "We are absolutely delighted this has gone through so swiftly. Test Valley has dealt with the application within three months. We involved planning officers from an early stage with the plans. In the past, we had difficulties with our planning schemes. As Embley Park is now involved with the Church Schools we got the planners involved from the start this time."

He said the whole area would benefit from the development, which includes building a boating lake a new coach parking area and highway improvement in Gardeners Lane.

Recommending the application to borough councillors' planner Stuart Goodwill said the school was a valued asset to the Test Valley and the Embley Park site would allow it to be at the forefront of education.

Blackwater member and former borough mayor, Tony Gentle, said Britain's best-loved nurse - Florence Nightingale- would have been very proud of the plans for her childhood home.

However, not all members were pleased with the design. Stockbridge ward's Danny Busk described it as the "most hideous" he'd seen since he last saw Test Valley School at Stockbridge.

"I am depressed by the use of cedar cladding. This is a 1960s revivalism."

And North Baddesley's Steve Cosier expressed a similar view. He said: "It reminds me of York University and a 1960s polytechnic."

But committee chairman Bruce Cowan, who visited the Embley Park site the day before, was full of praise. "It was wonderful. The new junior school and the senior school works will fit in very well and it will allow the two schools to grow," said Mr Cowan, pointing out a tin shed at the site earmarked for demolition would be more appropriate in Mr Busk's Houghton farmyard.

There was some criticism of the way planning officers processed the application by North Baddesley and Valley Park committee members. This included Alan and Celia Dowden and Steve Cosier.

However, Romsey Tadburn member Mark Cooper, who accused planners of being 'biased' did not attend the meeting, but he did make it clear beforehand he had no objection to the scheme itself - just the way the report for Tuesday's agenda was produced by borough officials.