A Workington school is planning to build a £1.5 million sports hall. 

St Joseph's School wants to replace its old hall and have it open by 2017. 

It will feature three courts, a multi-gym, changing rooms and showers.

Plans for the hall have come about after the school spent more than a year campaigning to raise funds, with the money coming from the Government’s Locally Co-ordinated Voluntary Aided Programme for school funding as well from Cumbria County Council.

The school has submitted a planning application to Allerdale council.

If it gets the go-ahead, building work would begin in June on the school’s current playground.

The school plans to demolish its existing sports hall, which dates back to the school’s original construction in 1929, if the new plans get the go-ahead.

Sybil Worsley, the school’s business manager, said: “We have got very poor sports facilities at the moment.

"They are very small and in a poor condition and even if we upgraded them they would not be big enough.

"We have been trying to get funding for a while."

The hall would be used through the day by school pupils but would be open to the community.