A SCHOOL'S dream of providing pupils with a "cutting edge" media centre is a step nearer reality after the plan was approved by Bolton planners.

Turton High School's bid for the new facility -- as part of a series of extensions at the school -- has been backed all the way by the Bolton Evening News.

And now the project has been given the backing of members of the council's planning committee.

Town hall planning members last week toured the school grounds to see the site of the proposed development before giving it their final thumbs-up.

The application calls for a new two storey teaching block with the two-storey, £1.8m, media centre.

The new building will include eight general classrooms, 15 sixth form seminar rooms, an IT room with an editing suite, a conference room and TV studio.

It will be built on a site at the school which currently has a tennis court and temporary teaching blocks on it.

A report to the council's planning committee says of the development: "The teaching block and media centre are modern and informal in design and will represent a good contrast with the traditional and more institutional looking school building.

"There are no immediately overlooking properties where it is considered that a reduction of residential amenity would result."

The BEN became the school project's leading sponsor in its bid to create the new centre and keep Bolton at the forefront of media developments.

Turton head Frank Vigon said he is "delighted" with the planning committee's decision saying: "We had the chance to show committee members around the site before they made the decision and we have been working closely with people in the locality of the new building.

"The building work will begin this week and we have already demolished the temporary classrooms so we have a flat building surface."

He added: "The centre will certainly place Turton at the forefront of anything that is happening in the North west as far as advanced technology and the media is concerned."

Mr Vigon said building work on the centre should be completed in the autumn.

Planning committee members expressed their concern that the school is also in need of a new bus turnaround facility within the grounds to enable pupils using public transport to have safer access to buses.

But the committee were told that money has been made available for a feasibility study and Turton is "next on the list" for this facility.

In welcoming the plans Bromley Cross member Cllr Donald Carr said: "I realise the frustration that has been present among teaching staff who have waited so many years for an extension, so let's see it now come about."