A new primary school in South Wimbledon is at the heart of dramatic plans to provide places for thousands more schoolchildren in Merton.

Seven existing schools are also in line for expansion in the plans, announced today, which look to find room for an additional 210 pupils at the borough's schools next September compared to this year's intake.

The announcement means other areas of the borough, like Raynes Park, could miss out.

Councillor Peter Walker, Merton Council's cabinet member for education, said the programme was “the biggest expansion of education in Merton in a generation”.

Council officers have costed three expansion options, one of which will be chosen by the council cabinet on October 11 - before planning permission is sought for the new buildings.

Two of the options - including the one backed by council officers - feature plans to build new classrooms at the South Wimbledon Community Centre in Haydons Road. Coun Walker said the new site would probably be run by senior staff at an existing primary school.

The other features a new primary school near Gap Road in north Wimbledon - an option backed by the previous Conservative administration. Council officers have reported this option would be £7million more expensive than the cheapest community centre plan.

All three options include plans to install temporary classrooms at existing schools, which could then be replaced with permanent buildings depending on pupil numbers. Six set for expansion in autumn 2011 are St Mary's in Wimbledon, Singlegate in Colliers Wood, Liberty and Gorringe Park in Mitcham, William Morris in Pollards Hill and Morden Primary. Dundonald in Wimbledon would be expanded in 2012.

Coun Walker said headteachers and governors at the schools had already been consulted, and letters about the plans were being sent ton parents today.

One of the community centre plans features the expansion of another, so far un-named, Wimbledon primary - while the other would offer a larger school at the Haydons Road site.

Coun Walker said new figures showed the birth rate in the borough had risen from 2,612 in the academic year 2002/03 to 3,419 in 2008/09 - a leap of 30 per cent. Coun Walker said the expansion would need to made with an expected 25 per cent fall in central Government funding.

He also claimed classrooms for an additional 150 pupils - on top of those provided next year - would be needed by autumn 2013.

For more on the plans read next week's Wimbledon Guardian.