TWO projects worth £67m to create two new schools were given the go-ahead yesterday.

Liverpool’s planning committee approved plans for West Derby’s Catholic boys’ school Cardinal Heenan and neighbouring Catholic girls’ school Broughton Hall to be brought together with a new sixth form and science centre of excellence.

While outline plans to rebuild West Derby Comprehensive in a £27m scheme had previously been approved, detailed consent was granted yesterday.

It will replace the existing ageing school, which is split across two sites off Bankfield Road and Quarry Road.

The Ernest Cookson special school, in nearby Mill Lane, would also move into the complex as part of a £400m makeover of the city’s schools.

Cardinal Heenan and Broughton Hall, which have 1,391 and 2,044 pupils respectively, would retain their identities under the proposals.

But both schools would be transformed by 2010 in a £40m project and have the latest gadgets ranging from retractable classroom walls, IT suites and study areas.

Education supremo Keith Turner said: “Our £485m Building Schools for the Future programme is about more than bricks and mortar – it is about investing in the future of young people.”