PLANS for two new Basingstoke schools have been formally approved by Hampshire County Council.

A new John Hunt of Everest school, to be built as part of the development of North Popley, moved a step closer when a design project appraisal was approved by Cllr Ken Thornber, the council's executive member for policy and resources.

Tenders for building the new school are expected to be invited in the autumn of this year, with work commencing in May to June next year and completing by December 2006.

The estimated cost of the scheme, including the school, community provision and youth provision, will be £18.6million. The school will have a capacity for 750 pupils and the scheme will allow this to be extended up to 900 pupils.

There will be 40 classrooms, a science/technology wing, a languages wing and a maths/humanities wing. Sports provision will include a four-badminton-court sports hall, a gymnasium, a floodlit synthetic turf pitch and grass pitches, cricket nets and athletics facilities.

Funding will be provided from the sale of the existing John Hunt site, a developer contribution and money from Basingstoke council and the county council.

Cllr Thornber also approved plans for the new Chiltern School, an amalgamation of Worting infant and junior schools.

It is intended the junior school building will be extended to create the new school, with the infant school site sold to finance the £1.7m project. The existing schools will be known as Chiltern Primary School from September, but pupils will remain in their current buildings until the school is completed, which is expected to be January 2006.

The first phase of the project will start during this year's summer holiday, with the second phase commencing in Easter next year.

The primary school's creation was agreed following a review of school places in the area.