PLANS to build a new £15 million high school in Radcliffe have been given the green light.

The Government announced on Friday that it has given its blessing to the project, and agreed to stump up £5 million towards the cost.

Bury Council is planning to raise the rest of the money through the sale of the two existing high school sites in the town and other funding sources.

Coney Green Technology College in Spring Lane and Radcliffe High School in Abden Street are currently being run under a federation, put in place last April.

Councillor Steve Perkins, Bury Council's executive member for lifelong learning, said: "This is the news we have been waiting and hoping for and it will enable us to complete our work on transforming secondary schooling in the town by providing a brand new, state-of-the-art 21st century school for the children of Radcliffe."

The Government's backing for the scheme now means the council can start work on putting the other funding elements in place and look at designing and planning the new school.

It is hoped that the building will be available for use at the start of the 2006/07 academic year, although a site for the new school has not yet been revealed.

Bury South MP Ivan Lewis said: "This is excellent news for the pupils and staff at the two Radcliffe schools. A state-of-the-art school will not only improve education in Radcliffe for generations to come, I believe it will be central to the regeneration of the entire town.

"The council and myself promised we would deliver this school and I am delighted with the news that we are now able to honour this commitment."