People in St Paul's should find out soon whether they are likely to get a futuristic high-rise primary school.

Bristol City Council wants to build a £10.5-million, four-storey school with a rooftop playground to replace Cabot Primary.

It is waiting to find out whether the scheme can go ahead as part of the £300m onedovelane regeneration programme or whether it should be built as a standalone school.

The plan is for the new building to house an expanded Cabot school – with 420 primary places rather than the 210 the present school has – the St Paul's Children's Centre, the Sussex Gardens GP family practice and council children's services social care teams.

The Co-location project, as it is called, should be completed by 2013 at the latest. It is planned as a high-rise so it does not use up too much development land.

A report to councillors this week said studies had been carried out on two possible sites: the Dove Lane end of the existing school site, or at the eastern end on the site of St James and St Agnes Nursery School.

Service director Kate Campion said progress on the onedovelane project, which promises 700 homes, 1,000 jobs and a "gateway" building alongside the M32, had slowed.

By May, they would have to decide whether to go ahead with the school with the developer or as a separate scheme. Lib Dem Councillor Shirley Brown said that many people in St Paul's did not like the planned building.

She said it was important that officers listened to voices in the community, including teachers, parents, governors and children and to reconsider the idea if necessary.

"People wonder if these ideas can come about realistically," she said.

"To have a building that the people don't want would be disastrous."

Ms Campion said that once the details of where the development would go ahead and on what terms, further consultation would be carried out.