Hopes of a long-awaited new building for Frenchay Primary School have been raised.

South Gloucestershire Council is carrying out a feasibility study on a site in the village that has been earmarked for a school for nearly 50 years.

The aim would be to build a 210-place school on the field at Malmains Drive to replace the existing early Victorian school on Frenchay Common.

Parents, staff and governors at the Church of England school are delighted some progress is being made but fear it could still be some time before the millions of pounds that would be needed to pay for a new primary will be found.

Chairman of governors Graham West said everyone was very fond of the school at the heart of the village but it was becoming increasingly difficult to provide the whole of a modern curriculum on the site.

"The local authority has been toying with the idea of a new school on the Malmains Drive site since the early 1960s.

"It would be nice to think that now might be the time for it to become a reality," he said.

Mr West said none of the limitations of the old buildings were having a major effect on the education of the 127 pupils yet but it was feared this would not be the case for much longer.

Three of the five classrooms are housed in temporary buildings away from the main school. They are expensive to run and unsuitable for people with disabilities. But they cannot be replaced by new temporary buildings because they have been in place too long. The school is in a conservation area and is a listed building, meaning it is difficult to make any changes.

"Although we do have the great resource of Frenchay Common on our doorstep we do not have any greater right to use it than anyone else," Mr West said.

A meeting for parents was held at the school on Wednesday to explain why it was felt the time had come to press for a new building. South Gloucestershire Council's executive councillor for schools, Sheila Cook, said Frenchay Primary was high on the priority list for when money became available.

Council spokesman Ryan Skeets added: "In conjunction with Frenchay primary school, the council is currently undertaking a feasibility study regarding the possible relocation of the school to a nearby, larger site.

"It is important to stress that this proposal is currently at its earliest stages and no decisions have yet been taken."