A COMPREHENSIVE business strategy for plans to rebuild Bridgwater's secondary schools in an ambitious £90million project is expected to be given a green light tomorrow (Wednesday).

The Mercury revealed in 2006 how Bridgwater has been chosen to pioneer Somerset's Building Schools For The Future initiative, a project which will see replacement schools built around Somerset and England.

Haygrove, Chilton Trinity, Robert Blake, East Bridgwater, Penrose and Elmwood schools will all be demolished and then replaced with state-of-the-art campuses aimed at revolutionising schooling.

Since the proposals were first announced, work has been going on behind the scenes to move the idea forward, and this week Sedgemoor District Council's Executive is being asked to sanction a business plan to submit to the Government for approval.

This will include detailed building costs, operational costs, construction data and timescales - in essence, a comprehensive outline of the whole project.

The report says: "The BSF project in Bridgwater is a large capital investment programme of approximately £90million, all of which will be delivered through PFI (private finance initiative) contracts.

"Outline Business Case is the fourth stage in seeking approval from Government for this significant investment to proceed."

Once approval has been secured, the bid must still go through further stages before work begins, with the physical construction dates for the development earmarked for 2010.

Robert Blake Science College and Elmwood Special School will then be rebuilt on the current Blake site and house 900 pupils.

East Bridgwater Community will be home to 900 pupils when it is rebuilt on its current site, and will also incorporate Adult Learning And Leisure facilities on-site, as well as other community services.

Haygrove School and Penrose School will be built together on a new greenfield site, and have 1,050 pupil places.

And Chilton Trinity Technology College will be rebuilt on its current site, with extra community facilities, and become home to 1,050 pupils.

It is estimated the first of the schools will be completed in 2011.