CHILDREN in Selby are “in a period of limbo” waiting for their new school to be built before planning permission runs out.

Developers Dransfield Properties were granted permission to demolish the current Selby Abbey Primary School in 2006 to extend the Morrisons store on Portholme Road, while building a new school on the site of the civic centre, providing work started by this year.

Work on the new school, which should house 360 pupils, was due to start last year, as many rooms around the building were in poor condition, but the scheme was put on hold due to the recession, and work has yet to begin on either project.

Jo Jennings, head teacher at the school, said: “As far as we are aware, we are cautiously optimistic about a new building, but that has been the same for the four years since I took over the headship.

“We are in a period of limbo at the moment, due to the economic situation. For now, we are making the most of what we have here.”

A spokesman for strategic services at North Yorkshire County Council said: “So far as the county council is concerned, we are awaiting further contact with the developers, but are cautiously optimistic that a move may be able to go ahead.”

Mrs Jennings said: “We’re hopeful that in the future there will be something else, but in the meantime, we may refurbish the rooms here and make it as best we can.

“I’m sure it would take a few years to get a new building ready, so we do little refurbishments anyway, and we’ll be doing up a Year One classroom over the summer, to make the existing services as good as possible.”

Amanda Holmes, PR and marketing manager for Dransfield Properties, said: “We have no update on the scheme at the moment, other than to say we remain committed to it.”

She said the company would resubmit a fresh planning application when necessary.