PLANS have been unveiled for a Colchester primary school to open a second site, offering places for 330 more children.

St John’s Green Primary School’s proposed £4million building, at Abbey Field, off Circular Road, is two storeys high, with ten classrooms, an assembly hall and an ICT suite.

If plans are given the go-ahead, the total number of pupils will jump from 210 to 540 when the building opens in early 2014.

The new site would be home to foundation year pupils and Year One pupils, as well as Years Five and Six.

Years Two, Three and Four would stay in the existing building.

If Colchester Council gives the green light, work on the building will start in February and be completed by December.

Don Parker, Essex County Council’s project manager, said: “Colchester is expanding in areas around the garrison and, in particular, the number of primary school places needed is on the increase and we need to meet that growth.

“There will still be one headteacher and one governing body, so as far as governing goes, there will not be any change.

“We have worked closely with the school and the architects. The exhibition is about getting the views from parents and people who live nearby, who it is going to affect.”

Headteacher Simon Billings said: “These plans aren’t something we have put together over a few days, this is work worth the best part of a year and what we’re getting is a bespoke and quaint design that we hope appeals to everyone.”

The land is currently owned by Taylor Wimpey, but Essex County Council will acquire the land free in July as part of an agreement with the Ministry of Defence and Colchester Council.

LSI Architects has designed the new campus.