A new secondary school is planned to be built in west Niagara, the District School Board of Niagara announced Thursday.

On Monday, trustees on the DSBN Finance Committee approved the purchase of 20 acres of land located at 4670 Durham Rd. in Beamsville, near the border of the town of Lincoln, where the new school will be erected.

The decision will be made official at a Jan. 23 board meeting. 

“We are very pleased to have found property located centrally to the majority of the student population to be served by the new school,” said Dale Robinson, chair of the board, in a press release.

“From the outset of this process, we felt it important to find a location below the escarpment to maximize accessibility.”

The school will accommodate more than 1,500 students and will be equipped with 60 plus classrooms, as well as gymnasiums and a synthetic turf track and field to support athletic programs and physical activity.

“This is an important next step in the process to deliver a new school to serve the west Niagara community,” said Warren Hoshizaki, DSBN Director of Education.

“With the location of the school settled, we will look to work with community partners to enhance the school as we have done in previous builds.” 

The DSBN and the town of Fort Erie partnered together on a $3 million dollar centre for the arts at Greater Fort Erie Secondary School.

Whether or not the property is purchased relies on receiving Ministry funding, the DSBN said. 

The DSBN said the Ontario government has committed to providing around $41 million dollars towards school’s construction to date.