It’s been a long time coming but the first phase of the Castle Rushen High School rebuild was unveiled last weekwhen plans for the proposed new outdoor sports facilities went on display.

The school has been badly in need of help for decades.

The display, in the school library, showed the new outdoor sports facilities and playing fields, which will include a total of four football pitches, two for under 17/18 games and two for under 11/12 games, a cricket pitch with artificial wicket and cricket nets. The new sports area will be created on land behind the Witches Mill.

The current thinking is the new school - estimated to cost aound £30m - will be built on the existing playing field.

Once pupils move into the new building, the old site will be used as car parking or as open space. The old car park area will be turned into an astro turf pitch.

Education Minister Graham Cregeen said: ’The proposed new outdoor sports facilities, for which a planning application will be progressed shortly, mark an important first step in the planned new build for the school.

’Subject to the necessary approvals, work will begin on the site in late March 2020, with the aim that the construction is completed by October 2020, and the pitches will be established for use from September 2021.’

In line with ambitions to make the school as eco-friendly as possible, the scheme includes pipework under the pitches linked to a ground source heat pump as part of the heating system for the new school.

This will please students as in June more than 500 signed a petition, drawn up by the Isle of Man Student Climate Network, urging government to make the rebuild as environmentally-friendly as possible.