MULTI-million-pound plans for a city school have been unveiled, with the site's principal claiming the community deserves the "very best".

Helen Mathieson, Marine Academy Plymouth's head, was speaking last night at the launch of a public exhibition on the £9.5million expansion.

As part of the plans, buildings which are more than 70 years old will be pulled down and replaced.

As well as new teaching facilities, the expansion of the Kings Tamerton site – which was once Tamarside Community College – will include a variety of community resources including a theatre, library, beauty and hairdressing salon, and a dance studio.

Nearly £1million will also be spent on ICT hardware alone and work is expected to begin in July lasting for 18 months.

"The prospect of giving this community a new school, and a new aspect to its schooling is the exciting part," Helen said.

"It will raise the aspirations of the children and I think this community deserves the very best.

"We want to give the community the best we can."

Lori Richards, a newly-appointed parent governor – whose daughter is in year 8 at the college, said: "The plans are very exciting and will definitely benefit the whole community."

Joy Dennis, secretary of Kings Tamerton Community Centre – who was also attending last night's exhibition of the plans, added: "I think the plans look very nice. If we can all work together for the good of the community it will be fabulous.

"It's for our future."

Members of the Plymouth's Cabinet agreed yesterday to have the city council oversee construction work at the academy, and a proposed new University Technical College on the site of the former Parkside Community College in Devonport.

The two projects will bring £17.5million into the city.

A proposed £8million cash injection for the new UTC Plymouth is awaiting legal agreement.

The Department for Education is paying for both projects and has said it wants the council to manage the procurement of the construction contractors using the existing Partnership for Schools (PfS) Academies Framework.

Gareth Simmons, director for learning environments at the council, told a special meeting of the cabinet that the academy project would involve demolishing a 1930s building and converting and extending one that dates back to the 1980s.

The city council is one of the co-sponsors of the UTC, which has been proposed by Plymouth University and City College Plymouth.

The authority is already contributing the equivalent of £1.3million towards UTC Plymouth by offering a 125-year lease on the land to house the new college.

Cllr Sam Leaves, cabinet member for children and young people, said the council would be supporting economic growth in a tangible way and generating local jobs.

UTC Plymouth will be a state-of-the-art college specialising in marine engineering and advanced manufacturing, for young people aged 14 to 19.

The college will be closely aligned with local employers including Babcock Marine, Princess Yachts International and a range of smaller and medium-size engineering and manufacturing businesses.

The Plymouth Manufacturers' Group has publicly backed the scheme. Plymouth UTC was one of 14 approved last October.