New sports hall plan for St Aidan's in Preesall

The school, on Cart Gate, has lodged an application for the ambitious scheme with planners at Wyre Council.

St Aidan's has not yet divulged the anticipated cost of the sports hall but design plans show it will be have a "fairly standard" internal size of 34.5m long by 20m wide.

The new facility is intended to accommodate four badminton courts and facilities to play netball, basketball, five-a-side football and other indoor games.

A first floor is proposed to provide an viewing platform, fitness suite and further storage.

The school has impressively managed to provide various sports sessions for its pupils and sixth formers but wants to have the kind of sports facility it has been trying to get built for the past 27 years.

Architects Bramley-Pate & Partners, in a design statement for the application, said: "In 1993 the Governors appealed to Wyre Borough Council for a sports hall on the site and inspite of recommendations for approval for the officers, this was refused by members of the planning committee.

"The proposal was subsequently approved on appeal but by that time, the Government money to build the sports hall had been spent elsewhere."

The school, it says, has excellent playing fields but these are unusable for most of the winter months and its existing indoor hall is not big enough.

The design statement says the school has tried to get round the restrictions by making use of the Over Wyre Sports Recreation Centre in Knott End.

It adds that the school has received the provisional offer of substantial funding from the Education Funding Agency and although the school needs to raise "considerable further monies to make the project viable", the governors wished to obtain planning permission to press ahead with the proposals.