COUNCILLORS have finally agreed that a new single-site Freebrough College should be built in Brotton.

The college is currently split across three locations in Loftus, Skelton and Brotton, with Skelton originally being the site of choice for the 1,000-pupil school.

The cost of the new school is understood to be £12m to £15m, with construction work expected to start next year, with an expected opening date in 2005.

Redcar and Cleveland Council cabinet member for education, Coun Steve Kay, explained that funding would come from the Government and the council, with companies invited to tender.

He said: "The prospect of a new secondary school was dangled before the people of East Cleveland for far too long by the former Labour administration. But it has taken the new coalition only three months to get things moving."

The cabinet decided the school should be at Brotton because it was the most central location, because of financial implications and because tests found the land at Skelton was unsuitable for a new school .

However, former cabinet member for education, Labour councillor Ian Jeffrey, will raise questions about how the decision was made at Monday's education scrutiny committee meeting, as he feels the decision was made for financial reasons.

"My understanding is that there is likely to be more capital receipts from the existing Skelton site than the Brotton site, so that makes it easier financially to have the college at Brotton."

Labour councillor, Dave McLuckie, who represents Skelton, said he thought Brotton was the wrong site: "It doesn't have the infrastructure to take the traffic generated by a thousand pupils. It will be an intolerable traffic nightmare." for the people of Brotton."

He added: "I think the Skelton site will be sold off for housing and I don't think people will be happy at all about that."

However, Kay Mount, assistant director of education at the council, said the land at Skelton was unsuitable for the development as tests showed it had a high peat content, which would bump up construction costs..

She acknowledged there were issues concerning traffic at the Brotton site, but said these were still being looked at.

Mrs Mount would not say if the land at Skelton would be sold for housing, but admitted it would no longer be needed for educational purposes. A virtual learning centre and youth club at the Skelton site will be retained though.

Kay Taylor, whose three daughters have attended the Brotton school, campaigned for the new single site college to be built there. She said: "I think it's what most people want."