TWO schools will be able to educate their pupils in newly-built state-of-the-art facilities in two years after a major planning application was approved unanimously yesterday.

Crumbling 1950s buildings which currently house West Blatchington Primary and Nursery schools in Hangleton Way Hove are to be levelled.

Where the school now stands - and elsewhere across the huge 3.8-hectare site - a newly-built primary school will rise along with a new home for a 1,000-pupil secondary school.

The Church of England King’s School is currently based in buildings formerly used by the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy.

Without room to expand, the 396-strong establishment has been trying to find a new site for several years.

The school, sponsored by the Russell Education Trust (RET), will share the space with the rebuilt primary.

West Blatchington Primary School will get a new two-storey building while the King’s School building will be three storeys high with 35 classrooms.

The number of pupils using the site will triple with the primary school able to take in more than 480 pupils and the secondary school and sixth form 1,050 pupils.

The number of employees will increase from 121 to 182 while the building floor space will more than quadruple to 12,000 square metres. Building work will be done in a single phase but with the existing primary school remaining in place until its replacement is built.

Karen Tipper, speaking on behalf of the developers, said it would “deliver two modern high quality school buildings and associated facilities.”

Ward Councillor Tony Janio, Conservative, told the committee the school was “desperately needed” but warned that transport problems might arise from pupils commuting to the site, creating as many as 2,000 extra journeys per day.

Afterwards he welcomed an agreement that developers sit down with residents’ groups.

Karen Lynch, chief executive of the Russell Education Trust which is sponsoring King’s School, appealed to the committee to remove the stipulation that it must provide a minibus. She warned the school simply did not have the budget.

Councillors agreed an amendment which removed that specific burden form the Trust alone. Afterwards she said: “We’re thrilled that planning has been granted and by the overwhelming vote. We are concerned about residents’ concerns, and we want our pupils to walk to school from bus stops.”