NEW nursery facilities could be created in Cowley after plans to revive a derelict old school were revealed.

The former St James School in Beauchamp Lane has been lying unused for more than 10 years.

But churchgoers in the area have united with nearby Church Cowley St James CofE Primary School with hopes of injecting hundreds of thousands of pounds into the neglected site.

Plans for the Victorian building could mean it is restored as a school facility within 15 months.

People behind the project hope to use it to offer early years education for two- and three-year-old pupils.

Chairwoman of the Friends of St James Old School Lesley Williams said: “It’s exciting it could be back to being what it was built to be. That’s where our heart is.

“It’s been there since 1834 and the people who live nearby would like to see it back in use.

“I just hate to see a building wasted.”

Mrs Williams said refurbishing the building, which is next to St James Church, would free up badly-needed space at the Bartholomew Road school.

The school is going to submit a business plan to Oxfordshire County Council asking it to provide £100,000 of funding to create early years provision.

But the Friends of St James Old School will then need to raise an additional £150,000 to fulfil their vision, including £30,000 immediately to repair the roof. The primary school currently caters for about 460 pupils aged between three and 11 but the new site would provide places for two-year-olds for the first time.

City councillor David Henwood said: “I think many people will be very excited to see the school rise again. That could only be a good thing for Cowley and surrounding areas.”

The school – where Lord Nuffield and actress Maggie Smith were pupils – opened in 1834 but closed its doors as St James CofE School in 1975.

It was later used as a pupil referral unit but has been standing empty since 2004.

Supporters of the proposals gathered at the site earlier this month to officially launch the Friends of St James Old School group and open its allotment created by pupils, who walked with colourful lanterns from their school to the derelict building where poems were read and musicians performed.

For more information contact oldschoolcowley@gmail.com