The vacant Putney Hospital is to be demolished to make way for a new primary school, it has been revealed.

Wandsworth Council exchanged contracts for the purchase of the long-disused hospital site from owners NHS Wandsworth earlier this week.

However, until the sale is completed, which is expected to be early next year, the final sale price is not being revealed.

Under the council's plan for the site, a new primary school will be built, providing 420 primary places and up to 50 full time nursery places for children living in the west of the borough.

It is hoped it will receive its first intake of pupils in September, 2015.

The council intends to create a residential redevelopment on the remainder of the site to provide 24 flats, from which proceeds will be used to pay for the educational facilities.

According to the authority, there is already pressure on school places in this area of Putney - and some parents are said to be struggling to find state schools for their children. The authority has yet to decide whether the new primary will be run as an academy or a free school.

Councillor Kathy Tracey, cabinet member for education and children's services, said: "Our aim is to build a bright new attractive and modern primary school that will have a double form entry and its own nursery provision and will cater for up to 470 local children.

"We hope to complete the purchase early next year and will then be working in close partnership with the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators and with local parents to come up with detailed proposals for the new school, which will of course be subject to the usual scrutiny under planning regulations."

A consultation with residents about proposed designs is planned before Christmas, before final plans and a planning application are made in the New Year.

Putney Hospital, which is situated on the eastern edge of Putney Common, had been a hospital since 1912, but closed services to patients in 1998 - it has been derelict ever since.

In 2009, the Wandsworth Guardian revealed NHS Wandsworth spent £2.6m in eight years on planning and securing the dilapidated hospital site.

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