Work on a long-awaited Locking Parklands school will finally begin after a multi-million-pound contract was awarded – but will not completed until 2020.

The 420-place Parklands Educate Together Primary School, which will be built between Larkhill Road and Russell Road, was planned to open in September 2017 before delays to the North South Link Road – which will provide access to the school – set it back 12 months.

The building was finally earmarked for completion in September 2019 but a new target date of April 2020 has been announced due to drainage problems.

North Somerset Council has agreed to award a £9million contract to construction company Willmott Dixon to complete the school on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Balfour Beatty has been tasked with a £13million project to finish the North South Link Road, which joins West Wick with the Weston villages.

An Educate Together Primary Trust spokesman said: “Drainage across the site is an issue so final handover is not likely until April 2020.

“Willmott Dixon is working to reduce this timeline, if possible, but we are working with North Somerset Council to ensure we have contingency plans at the temporary site until Easter (2020).”

The school’s first reception class has been based in a temporary building since September while it is accepting pupils for the September 2019 intake.

The trust’s spokesman continued: “We are looking forward to seeing the building go up and all the wonderful learning opportunities this presents for the current pupils and those who join us in September 2019.

“We expect to have site visits and visits from the builders so children and their families really feel involved as the build progresses and we prepare to move in.”

Facilities at the school will include sports and play spaces, including a 3G football pitch, and a changing block.

The money given to Willmott Dixon and Balfour Beatty is part of a North Somerset Council investment worth £40million in the Weston villages.

The injection will help deliver 6,500 new homes and create more than 10,000 employment opportunities.