ANOTHER major cash outlay is required to accommodate school place demands following the collapse of a controversial £22million high school.

Taxpayers will be expected to fork out £1.7million each year until 2036 for the former Hameldon Community College in Burnley, under a Private Finance Initiative agreement under the former Building Schools for the Future programme.

But county councillors have been told that there are still gaps in secondary school provision in the borough, which will require extensions at two other high school sites.

The last students, from Year 10, have left the Coal Clough Lane school, as part of a phased closure of Hameldon, which has seen Years 7, 8 and 9 pupils transferred to other institutions in September.

Unity College and Shuttleworth College have been identified as schools which could fill the gap - but urgent building work would be required.

An extension would ultimately be required at Unity, though space could be find within the main building and the former City Learning Centre, until the new classrooms were ready in September 2021.

Work at Shuttleworth, although described as ‘challenging’, should involve the installation of modular buildings.

Matthew Tidmarsh, the county council’s asset management head, said in a report: “If no action is taken, there will be a shortfall of between 68 to 75 secondary pupil places in 2020.

“Given increasing secondary place pressure in Pendle, there is little chance to displace these pupils into neighbouring planning areas, which increases the need for the places in Burnley.

“Although schools may have limited capacity to admit pupils above their published admission number, this figure suggests that permanent expansion of one or more schools should be considered.”

The cost of the two schemes is being kept under wraps for commercial reasons.

Part of Hameldon is being used to cater for students from Rhyddings Enterprise College, while works are completed at their Oswaldtwistle home.