NEWPORT council has unveiled plans for an "exciting" learning space at one of the city's schools.

Classrooms at St Andrew's Primary School, in Corporation Road, were demolished last summer because of concerns over the conditions of one of the buildings.

Those safety concerns meant pupils in junior years had to move to temporary classes held in Newport Live's Connect Centre, in Pill.

Now, the council has launched a pre-planning consultation on its designs for a replacement building at St Andrew's, described as an "exciting environment where [pupils can] learn and socialise".

The council has previously suggested the new building could cost £10m.

A new, three-storey junior block would accommodate 360 pupils, as well as 45 staff members. There would be no increase or reduction in the school's capacity if the block is built, according to pre-planning documents.

The block would be "of the highest quality" and "respects the character of the local area", according to a planning statement prepared by Kew Planning.

The firm concedes the former school building, now demolished, suffered "significant structural issues" and is "typical of many city centre schools with ageing Victorian buildings and a lack of external play space".

If the proposed block is built, however, the plans also include a complete transformation of the school's play areas.

The plan "encompasses a new central playground and will provide solutions for hard and soft landscaping, play equipment and ecological enhancements", planning documents show.

The new block would be L-shaped, and be roughly similar in size to the building which was demolished last summer.

It would also include a new school entrance in Corporation Road, which will "will ensure the school has a community-facing presence, which was previously lacking".

There would also be a new pupil entrance, for children walking and cycling to school, as well as a new pedestrian entrance to the existing car park.

The pupil entrance will open onto a cycle storage area and the central yard, "allowing students to reach all parts of the school".

New double gates have also been proposed between the car park and the main playground.

If the plans are approved, the project "will result in short term economic investment through the construction phase" including the hiring of contractors from "the local skilled labour force", documents show.

The project will also "deliver several social benefits by improving education facilities and returning the junior students to the school site", Kew Planning said.

The pre-planning consultation can be viewed online at www.kewplanning.co.uk/consultations