A NEW state of the art school is to be built in Nailsea following a £27m Government cash windfall. North Somerset Council learnt this week it had been successful in

A NEW state of the art school is to be built in Nailsea following a £27m Government cash windfall.North Somerset Council learnt this week it had been successful in securing the funding from the Department for Education and Skills to build the new 1,500 pupil school in the town.Two sites are being put forward for the new facility - the current Nailsea School site and Golden Valley playing fields. A geological survey of both sites is to be carried out before a decision is made and a planning application submitted.The school will have to be built to strict deadlines and meet an opening date of September 2009 to qualify for the cash, which will be paid in three instalments.North Somerset Council executive member for children and young people's services Councillor Peter Kehoe said: "A site for the new school has yet to be chosen, but Golden Valley is an option."Which site we choose will depend on how we can manage the building project."The beauty of Nailsea is that we have access to two sites which means the new facility could be built while managing the existing school."This will be the single largest building project within very tight deadlines."All the funding will be coming from the DfES which is good news for the council tax payers of North Somerset."If the Golden Valley site is chosen, it will not affect the current primary school on the land.The land which Nailsea School currently occupies will then be assessed and its future decided.Cllr Kehoe said: "Obviously if the Nailsea site does become vacant then we will assess whether it is needed for educational purposes of whether it is surplus to requirements."However, we are a long way off from that decision."Nailsea was chosen out of five schools put forward for total redevelopment by North Somerset Council.It was chosen from Churchill, Priory, Backwell and Clevedon after meeting all the necessary funding requirements.The council has promised full consultation with local residents about the scheme.