Major steps to build a £30 million education campus in Whitehaven have been taken as plans are formally submitted.

The proposals will see a purpose-built campus for St Benedict's School and Mayfield School on one site.

There are also plans for sports pitches, facilities, car parking and landscaping on the site, at St Benedict's School, as well as new access onto Moresby Road and Red Lonning.

Copeland Council has received the planning application from Cumbria County Council for the major venture.

The county council is also asking for permission to demolish the current St Benedict's School.

A drop-in session was held for pupils, parents and the community in October to see early designs of the state-of-the-art facility.

The proposals showed separate buildings for each of the schools linked by a shared space for pupils and the wider community.

It featured numerous facilities including dining areas, sports facilities, and a hydrotherapy pool. It has been designed to provide some space for community use.

The unprecedented £30million investment in the campus comes from a range of partners including The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd, Copeland Council, Copeland Community Fund, and Cumbria County Council.

Wates Construction has been appointed to design and build the new facility.

It has been previously been reported that work on the campus could start as soon as February, and it could open its doors to pupils in September 2018.