A NEW multi-million pound primary school could be up and running in Ipswich as early as September 2007.St Joseph's College has had a planning application approved by Ipswich Borough Council for the state of the art building which will cost more than £3million.

A NEW multi-million pound primary school could be up and running in Ipswich as early as September 2007.

St Joseph's College has had a planning application approved by Ipswich Borough Council for the state of the art building which will cost more than £3million.

The school will accommodate 200 pupils up to 11-years-old and see the opening of a crèche to look after babies as young as six-months old all year round.

It will be the first phase of a larger project which will also see a theatre being built on the grounds in Belstead Road.

The school has 150 primary school children but the Grade II listed Georgian building currently used is thought to be getting too old and does not have a very good layout for classrooms.

Instead the building will be transformed into boarding accommodation on completion of the new school.

John Peecock, principal of Peecock Short Property Solutions, is acting as the school's agent over the new project.

He said: “The old building is not flexible enough at being transformed into classrooms and so the school has been looking at new ways of running the primary school and crèche.

“Work will begin almost immediately and they hope it will be operational by September 2007.”

Residents in Emmanuel Close, which runs along the side of the school, have voiced concerns over more traffic using a small access in the street and noise from contractors working on the new building.

Mr Peecock added: “Residents needs will be taken into consideration by those who carry out the work.

“Work will only be carried out during usual working hours.”

Another access to the school will be put in along Birkfield Drive to cater for traffic attending the new primary school.

The application was approved subject to certain conditions at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday.

Do you live in the area? Do you have concerns over the development? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk