BRIDGWATER residents have been given their first tentative glimpse of what their town’s new £18m specialist school may look like.

Somerset County Council announced its intention in May to build a new 160-place special school on Bower Lane, not far from the community hospital.

The new school will bring pupils from the existing Elmwood and Penrose schools under one roof for the first time.

Now the council has released artists’ impressions of what the new facility may look like.

The school is expected to cost £18M and it is hoped it will be operational by September 2020. Planning permission has yet to be secured.

The new building will include therapy spaces as well as specialised equipment needed to provide support for pupils between the ages of four and 16.

The council is pushing for “significant” parking and drop-off facilities at the school, as well as the provision of a hydrotherapy pool.

When the new school opens,  Penrose will continue to provide special needs education, but will focus on post-16 provision with an emphasis on “promoting independence and employability skills.”

Elmwood school, meanwhile, will be converted to provide more capacity at Robert Blake school.

This project is part of the council’s strategy to ensure pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can be educated closer to home.

This cuts down on transport costs, as well as creating a sense of community and promoting a better environment for the children concerned.

Councillor Frances Nicholson, cabinet member for children and families, said: “We always do all we can to support children with SEND to attend mainstream school where this is appropriate and also make sure that those with the highest level of need have the right provision.

“Projects like this will ensure that children with all levels of need can be educated close to home in their own communities.”

Bower Lane has been set aside for new development in Sedgemoor District Council’s Local Plan, with “a minimum of 1,350” homes set to be built, along with a new primary school and community hub.

The county council has confirmed that the new special school will go ahead regardless of whether this area of Bridgwater ends up being developed.