A NEW £1.95million primary school could soon get the go-ahead to help cope with a Suffolk town's rapidly expanding population.Suffolk county councillors will debate next week whether to build the school for 150 pupils on the Cedars Park estate, on the edge of Stowmarket.

By John Howard

A NEW £1.95million primary school could soon get the go-ahead to help cope with a Suffolk town's rapidly expanding population.

Suffolk county councillors will debate next week whether to build the school for 150 pupils on the Cedars Park estate, on the edge of Stowmarket.

The county council has been consulting people on the best way forward – the options including building a new school at Cedars Park or expanding the primary school at neighbouring Stowupland.

The vast majority of people wanted the new school – which would open for September 2006 - and the county council's executive committee will meet at their Ipswich headquarters on Tuesday next week to decide whether to give the project the go-ahead.

In the report officers are asking councillors to approve building the school, place it in the authority's 2004/5 capital programme to ensure its opening in about two years time, and to review the primary school catchment areas in the town.

Duncan Macpherson, county, district and town councillor for Stowmarket, said: "This will be very important for the town, a real boost.

"Things are looking positive for Stowmarket, there is broad support from most sections of the community for a new primary school on the estate.

"For people living there, this makes it one step closer to having a school a safe walking distance from their homes.''

Councillors are advised in the report that a new primary school on the Cedars Park development would help the county council ensure high quality education in the community.