PLANS for a new 'free school' for children with complex special needs have been given unanimous support by Poole councillors.

The Delta Education Trust has applied to build a new school for 60 students with autistic spectrum disorders and related conditions including anxiety and speech and language problems.

At present no specific site has been identified, but the Trust - which comprises the Quay School in Poole and Coppice Spring School in Basingstoke - has expressed a preference for local authority land close to a main road in the Canford Park, Merley, Upton and Bearwood areas of south east Dorset.

At a full council meeting on Tuesday members voted to support the plans "in principle" and instruct officers to work alongside the applicants and other authorities to identify a suitable site.

Cllr Mike White, portfolio holder for children, said: "This is a very welcome addition to the special schools offer and will mean we send fewer children with certain special needs out of the borough."

He said that, should the school be sited in Poole, it would be placed on already designated "education land".

The plans were also supported by Cllr Sandra Moore, who said: "There is a great deal of need for this type of provision.

"I do have a friend whose eldest daughter is autistic. She is in her 20s now but a school like this being proposed would have been absolutely ideal for her.

"I think of her when I support this."

Cllr David Brown proposed an amendment to the motion calling on council officers to consult both ward councillors and residents on a suitable site for the school as part of the discussions, and members voted in favour of the first part and against the latter part.

Plans for the 'Harbour School', as it has been named, have been submitted to the Department for Education and the applicants hope to open within the next two years. The project would be funded by central government.

The school would serve children in Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset, and all three councils have identified a gap in provision in this area, with pupils having to travel long distances to schools out of the area.