A NEW £1.5 million specialist school for children with complex needs has been given the go-ahead by planners.

The new building on part of the former Earlston High School site will house the 40-pupil centre.

Current centres in Hawick, Innerleithen and Jedburgh currently cater for a total of 18 children who fall under the autism umbrella.

And many more are educated in mainstream schools across the region.

The new central education facility won’t act as a direct alternative to mainstream schooling, but it will replace the current facility at Howdenburn Primary in Jedburgh and help free up space at the other two centres.

Planning officer Stuart Herkes gave the proposed building the thumbs up last week. He said: “The design is contemporary and consistent with the appearance and character of an education building. “It would be a relatively low building - consistent with its function - and would largely inhabit the site of the pre-existing education building. “Taking account of this and distance of set-back from surrounding residential properties, it would not have any unacceptable impacts upon residential amenity.”