New plans have been submitted for a secondary school in Colchester which will host 900 students after years of delays to its opening.

Bowmer and Kirkland has been commissioned by the Department for Education to develop Trinity School on the Chesterwell estate in north Colchester.

It now aims to be open in September next year according to a planning application - four years after the original date.

After the initial delays, it was hoped the school would open last year but it suffered further setbacks including when construction firm Laing O’Rourke pulled out of the project.

The first cohort of Trinity School students are being taught on the site of The Gilberd, in Brinkley Lane, Highwoods.

According to the design and access statement, the new school will feature a multi-use games area, car parking, landscaping and an external play area with access from Wildeve Avenue.

Additionally, a teaching block containing general and specialist facilities, a sports block and an external dining area will be constructed.

A section reads: “The proposal for Trinity School will provide much-needed, state-of-the-art facilities for students aged 11 to16 years, and will provide a total of 900 places for years 7 to 11.”

The school has already been granted outline permission as part of a wider application by Mersea Homes.

These plans also include the development of 2,400 new homes, transport infrastructure and buildings for sport, leisure and business.

Trinity School will be a free school, meaning it is Government funded but not run by Essex County Council and will be managed by the Alpha Trust.

The Alpha Trust is a multi-academy trust currently running Colchester County High School for Girls, The Gilberd School, Manningtree High School and Home Farm Primary School.