Designed by Stallan-Brand, the project will bring all three establishments in East Kilbride together under one roof on a purpose-built campus adjacent to the schools’ current town centre site.

Pupils will remain in their schools throughout the construction which will be carried out as a tandem build.

Both Halfmerke Primary and West Mains School will have eight classrooms each under the plans. West Mains will also have quiet rooms, therapy and sensory rooms for pupils who have a variety of additional support needs.

Vehicle access to the new campus will remain unchanged and will lead to a 79-space car park and drop-off zone. Pedestrian access will also be the same.

Councillor Hugh Dunsmuir, the chair of the council’s planning committee which agreed the plans, welcomed the beginning of another year of progress on the council’s 125-strong primary school estate.

He said: “I am always delighted to see new school applications come to this committee as it shows the continued progress of this unique modernisation programme.

“Who would have thought back in 2004 when the council embarked on this process that a decade later, the majority of our pupils would be learning in new, modern environments?

“And just as so many have already benefitted, so too will the pupils of Halfmerke and West Mains as they look forward to a bright new future in a brand new building, designed to suit, and adapt to, the needs of their own school communities.”