Sir James hopes to inspire future UK inventors and engineers

Bath and North East Somerset Council's development control committee has voted 7-5 to support his proposal to knock down most of the Newark Works.

The former Stothert and Pitt crane factory would then make way for the entrepreneur's 10,888sq m School of Design Innovation.

The final decision will now be passed on to the local government minister.

'Tendering process'

Sir James wants to construct a pioneering engineering school at the site off Lower Bristol Road, which is now called South Quays.

On Wednesday he said: "We're delighted the elected councillors have seen the potential the school has to offer the young people of Bath & North East Somerset and the regeneration opportunity for South Quays.

"We hope that the approval process involving the Government Office for the South West and the Secretaries of State for DEFRA and DCMS is completed quickly to avoid any more delays.

"We want young people to come to the school as soon as possible to become the design engineers of the future."

In October 2007, Bath Spa University decided not to go ahead with the purchase of the South Quays site.

The university carried out a review of the development plan and decided it was not commercially viable.

B&NES Council had offered the site to the university as the highest bidder.

At the time a council spokesman said: "In accordance with the tendering process, the site will now be offered by the council to the second highest bidder, the James Dyson Foundation."