A NEWLY-merged primary school looks set to move to a single site after council bosses agreed to a unique land-swapping deal.

St Andrew's RC Primary and St Osmund's RC Primary are still operating from their original sites - on Blenheim Road and Withins Drive, Bolton - despite amalgamating in 2003.

But plans have now been approved to allow the new Catholic voluntary-aided SS Osmund and Andrew's Primary School to move into the former Moss CP School, in Breightmet, at a cost of £1 million.

The deal would see the Salford Diocese sign over the deeds to the two original sites to the Local Education Authority in exchange for ownership of the Moss School.

Bolton Council's executive committee agreed to the plan in principle, allowing evaluations to be carried out to assess the value of the three sites.

It is believed the former Moss School building could be extended to accommodate 315 pupils in time for the start of the next school year.

Susan Sollazzi, manager of asset management and planning at the Bolton Council, told a meeting of the executive: "The Moss School is in good condition and it could be extended to accommodate the numbers required."

But she added that the downside of the plan was the location of the Moss School building, which would mean pupils in north Breightmet would have "quite a distance" to travel each day.

The Moss, on Falkirk Drive, closed in July 2002 due to falling pupil numbers.

The council is considering retaining the ownership of part of the Moss site to make up for any shortfall in the value of the lands swapped.

The plan will have to be approved by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Martin Lochery, assistant director of the Salford Diocese schools branch, said: "The school has suffered from the changing financial position of the DfES and there wasn't he money available to do a good job at St Osmunds.

"We back this proposal 100 per cent, and the school will have all the facilities it needs."