MARLBOROUGH'S district councillors have been assured that the new St John's School building will blend into the landscape and be a significant improvement on the current school, built in the 1960s.

Neil Armitage, director of Format Milton, the architects who have designed the new state-of-the-art building, gave the councillors a presentation at the Stedman Upper School site last Thursday.

Councillors attending included Kennet's council leader, Coun Chris Humphries and Marlborough members Nick Fogg, Marian Hannaford and Tony Skittrall.

The new school has been designed around a heart-shaped entrance hall, incorporating a foyer, restaurant and library and resource centre.

A central corridor will sweep through the core of the building and a sports hall will rise three storeys high, with an entrance below the level of the rest of the building, allowing muddy football and rugby players to enter the showers and changing rooms without trekking through other public areas.

Next to it will be a theatre/lecture hall, which will also rise through three storeys to either seat 550 for a performance or be cleared and used for exams.

But the exterior view is the one that concerned councillors most and they seemed impressed that the arcing design would blend into the landscape, especially as the roof will be planted with mosses and appear green and cultivated from the air and from viewpoints around the town.

The new building is to go up on the area currently taken up by a shanty town of mobile classrooms.

Once the new building is finished, hopefully by late 2006 or spring 2007, the existing buildings will be demolished and the ground converted to tennis courts and parkland.

The building will be honeycombed with courtyards which will be planted with trees and shrubs, which can grow above roof level and there will be disabled access throughout.

Mr Armitage said the building was designed to be energy efficient with an accent on natural lighting and ventilation.

Headmaster Dr Patrick Hazlewood told councillors that local sports clubs would be able to use the facilities.