PLANS for a new secondary school which looked to have been abandoned could now be revived under fresh proposals.

The future for the long-running project to re-build St John's School, in Epping, looked bleak when Essex County Council announced in June it no longer had the funds to support it.

But it is now understood that Higgins Construction, the private developer involved in the project, has put forward a new proposal which could see the school still going ahead.

Details of the new proposal have not yet emerged, and no-one at Higgins was available to comment.

Under the original plans, the developer would build the new school in return for permission to construct a 149 home housing estate on the school grounds.

Epping Town Council clerk Bob Whittome confirmed his members had withdrawn objections to the scheme after being contacted by the county council about the new plans.

He said: “We have received an assurance from the county council that there is a firm offer on the table.”

Epping councillor Ken Avey said: “We're waiting to see whether private money can be put forward. Essex County Council talked their way out of providing money. It remains to be seen if someone will raise it.

“I believe the county council will go into this very carefully and we will wait and see. No-one wants to see a building half built and then find the money's run out. It's up in the air as far as we're concerned.”