RADCLIFFE'S new Riverside high school WILL be built after the council and developer finally reached agreement.
Both sides have signed a deal which gives the green light for the £28 million school to be created on the former ELPM site.
They hope to complete the legal work in January and, with 56 weeks of construction after that, means the Riverside should be open early in 2009.
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However, the school looks certain to be cut from 900 places to 600, due to falling rolls.
Members of the ruling executive, who meet next Wednesday, will also be asked to look at incorporating 14-19 education and extended services onto the site.
The recommendation follows weeks of public consultation, which closed on Friday, but asks that the building should be capable of future expansion to 900 pupils should demand rise to those levels. It rejects the option of moving nearby Radcliffe Hall Primary School onto the campus, saying it has little support The school's whole future had hit a serious last-minute snag, over the value of land which needed to be bought and sold in the deal. The district valuer was brought in amid fears that the council was selling off land too cheaply, and revised terms were offered to the developer.
Town hall leaders are keeping tight-lipped on the figures: but the Radcliffe Times understands that the revised deal has saved taxpayers around £1.2 million.
Councillor Bob Bibby, leader of the council, said: "The council and developer have now agreed the heads of terms' and both sides are using all speed to get the legal work done as soon as possible, certainly by January.
"The council and its officers have been accused of trying to sabotage the building of the new school through disputes with the developer and others, but what we have really been doing is what any responsible administration should do, and that is safeguarding public money.
"As a result of our stance, the Bury Council purse is considerably better off than it would be if we'd rushed ahead as the Labour group would have had us do.
"The allegations of sabotage are a clear example of desperate scare mongering, compared to our example of careful planning."
He added: "With the co-operation of the opposition, Radcliffe will have a new school at the beginning of 2009: however, if people are obstructive, it's inevitable they will cause further delays."
