A village primary school that has campaigned for a new site is celebrating after council chiefs agreed to the move.

Cullingworth Primary School has been lobbying Bradford council for a move to a new school since the change from a three to a two-tier school system.

Following approval for a new school by council education bosses, an outline planning application has been lodged with Shipley Planning Team to develop the new site on an allotment next to the village's recreation ground on Halifax Road. If all goes to plan the school, which has 270 pupils on its register, could have a modern new campus built and ready to open by September next year.

"The staff, governors and children have every confidence in making this a reality," said head teacher Chris Irelan-Bunting. "We realised when we started asking for a new building that the hurdles would not be insignificant.

"It's clear that everyone is putting in a major effort right at this moment, and there is a hope that we will have completion by September 2003."

Mr Irelan-Bunting said one possible sticking point could be the presence of natural ground springs in the area.

Robert Holt from Bovis Lend Lease Limited, which is overseeing the design and construction, said: "The council's aspiration is to locate the school on the allotment site.

"At the moment we are progressing a full design with the intention of formally submitting it, hopefully in July."

Parents, staff and governors have argued that it would be more cost effective to start afresh on a new site in the village than to redevelop and extend the current Victorian building on School Street. They say that constructing new buildings on the current site will make it far too cramped for staff and pupils.

A Cullingworth parish council spokesman said: "It has long been proposed by the parish council that the allotment land, which was scheduled for housing development in the long run, would be better used for a new primary school.

"We also stated that it would be better to put up a new primary school than to try to revamp the old one.

"It will mean the old school can be freed up for re-development, which would bring in a nice sum that could go towards paying for the new school.

"One of the main advantages of developing a school on the allotment site is that it's alongside the village recreation playing field, which will be much better for the students."