North-east council chiefs are using compulsory purchase powers to secure land for a new multimillion-pound primary school.
Plans to relocate overcrowded Markethill Primary at Turriff have been on the cards for years.
This summer, detailed plans for the £11million building went on show to the public.
Now, Aberdeenshire Council has announced its intention to submit a compulsory purchase order to the Scottish Government in an effort to take over the earmarked land, on the northern edge of town.
The local authority hopes to acquire a 332,00sq ft plot off Meadowbank Road and a 23,000sq ft strip of land nearby.
A council spokesman said the order was simply to speed up the process while talks with the landowner were ongoing.
The new school is scheduled to open its doors in 2017.
Two years ago, a study revealed that the primary’s roll was likely to rise to 471 pupils by 2016. Its current capacity is 355.
The new building will have space for just over 500 pupils, with potential for up to 600 in the future.
A council spokesman said: “A replacement Markethill Primary School is required in order to meet the changing educational and community needs in Turriff. The proposed new school will increase the capacity and improve on the existing facilities.
“Negotiations have been ongoing with the landowner and are continuing. To minimise potential delays, a compulsory-purchase order was approved by Aberdeenshire Council in September.”
Members of the public now have four weeks to view the order – on display at council offices in Turriff and Ellon – and raise any objections or comments.
The order could be approved by Scottish ministers early next year.
Members of the council’s Formartine area committee passed proposals for the new building in September 2011.