The �13m Freebrough Community College in Brotton, near Stockton, hopes to receive its first pupils in 2006.

The project suffered a major setback in 2002, when council bosses pulled back from a deal involving a troubled London Underground contractor.

But Redcar and Cleveland Council has now appointment Huddersfield-based Aedas Architects Limited to lead the development of the new college.

Freebrough Community College is currently based on three sites at Loftus, Brotton and Skelton.

Redcar and Cleveland Council's cabinet member for education Steve Kay, said: "The brief for Aedas is to design the new premises, deal with the planning process and work with the project team and stakeholders.

'Quality learning'

"It means working within a very tight timescale, but the project is still on track to meet the target completion date."

Contractors will begin work on the Brotton site in September, ready for site clearance and the start of building work in March 2005.

In a joint statement, Freebrough principal Diane Edwards and chair of governors Kate Cook said: "We are very excited to be taking the next step towards our vision of a single, state-of-the-art college for east Cleveland.

"We believe that Aedas can deliver a building offering facilities for high-quality learning for the people of our community."

David Holmes, Aedas' associate director, said: "The new school site is in a very inspiring setting, overlooking the North Sea.

"We are looking forward to the challenge of designing a school that will complement such a beautiful environment."