FRESH plans are being made to extend facilities at the North-East’s largest post-16 school.

Durham Sixth Form, which has more than 1,300 young people on its roll, already has planning permission for a new multi-media building on its site in Durham city centre.

It has now put forward a new planning application to make the building bigger, by adding another floor level to provide more teaching space, staff areas, offices and toilets.

The sixth form has previously said it pays £70,000 to £80,000 a year to rent another building close to the site in The Sands but wants to terminate that contract when it ends.

If the new application is approved, the modern style building, which would be between the existing building and Freeman’s Quay leisure centre would be three storeys high, providing seven extra classrooms and give it capacity for 511 pupils.

Architects of the scheme say it will provide a flexible space to meeting changing educational needs.

A statement by architects Frank Shaw Associates said: “The design allows for the creation of an inspirational learning environment within a well developed, sustainable and robust building, with the provision of flexible and adaptable spaces which will meet changing educational needs.”