A free school has been given the go-ahead for a new site.

Harperbury Free School was due to open this September on the former Harperbury Hospital site in Harpers Lane, Radlett.

However schools’ minister Lord Nash announced in February that the Department for Education had failed to secure the site in time, meaning its opening would be delayed for a year.

The Education Funding Agency has now announced that it has secured the land from the Department of Health on behalf of the Harperbury Free School Trust.

Lord Nash has signed off the capital budget to build the school, giving the go-ahead for planning applications to begin as soon as possible.

The school site is set to be at the northern end of the former hospital site, close to Harper Lane.

The new Kingsley Green Hospital has recently opened on another part of the land and a sizeable future housing development will be built on part of the 230-acre plot during the next few years.

Clive Glover, a founding member of the school's trust, said: "It's one of those things that has taken a long time since we first started the plans for this new school, but its great that we can finally announce it.

"Hundreds of families have been very supportive of us all the way through this so we expect a lot of pupils to fill places."

Although the school buildings will not be completed in time for the initial intake of students next September, school governors are working to secure the use of an existing building within the catchment area for the school on a temporary basis.

Chairman of governors Sara L'efquihi said: “It has taken a long time to get to this point but we are delighted that we have finally managed to secure what was always our preferred site for the school.

“We know that securing planning permission may not be easy but this feels like a significant step in the right direction to provide our community with the school it so badly needs.

“I can only thank those within the various government departments who have worked so hard to make it happen.”