An Andover school is one step closer to having an extra classroom added on the school site.

Harrow Way School, located on the eponymous road, has had no objection to plans to install a single modular classroom by Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC). The school currently has 955 pupils, and is set to increase by a further 30 by 2021/2022, with the classroom to be on site for a period of seven years to meet this increase in pupil numbers

The hope is that the classroom will be a stopgap while plans to expand the school permanently are explored.

The new building will measure around 107 square metres, and will be delivered in units built in a factory. These will then be craned into position before being bolted together to form a single building.

Construction will take around six weeks, and it will be designed to blend in with the other school buildings in the area. Power and water supplies will be provided from the existing school systems, while a new tarmac footpath will be laid to the classroom.

Issues relating to the archaeology of the site have been noted by Hampshire County Council’s (HCC) Senior Archaeologist, Thom Hayes, who said that the site lies “within an area of known archaeological activity”.

In particular, the roman road between Old Sarum and Silchester runs 150 to the south of the site, with a series of “detailed” enclosures and barrows around the road identified through aerial photography.

However, he noted that “archaeology should not present an overriding concern” to the plans, and that to mitigate any impacts an archaeologist should be present to monitor any groundworks.

Following consideration, TVBC offered no objection to the plans, which were proposed by HCC. The plans are still under consideration by the county council, with the public consultation now having closed. An outcome will be announced in due course.