A CUMBRIAN peer and two professional experts have signed up to help lead a proposed new primary school on the edge of Carlisle.

Lord Henley, a barrister, is to be the new chair of governors at Stone Eden Primary School.

Solicitor Michael Walby, a partner at law firm Burnetts and company secretary of Queen Katherine’s School in Kendal, and accountant Ian Lancaster, a director of H&H Group, are also trustees of the company set up to run the school.

The three men are among the small team recruited to help govern the proposed £6m school, which is aiming to open in September 2017 subject to government approval and planning permission.

They will be also joined by Wendy Feddon, operations director of the existing Stone Eden Nurser Wheelbarrow Hall, Aglionby. Its owners, David and Jenn Farrell, are behind the ambitious plans for the new 420-pupil school for Carlisle. It would be the first free school to be built in Cumbria.

Details of the governing team emerged this week as the couple confirmed they had submitted their bid to Whitehall officials.

The deadline for the latest round of free school applications was midday on Wednesday.

Others will be appointed to join the governors if the plans win Government approval and, subsequently, a headteacher will be sought.

Mr and Mrs Farrell, who would also be involved, revealed in August that they were drawing up plans to expand their 10-year operation with a free school.

This week they have had to submit detailed education and budget plans as part of their 100-plus page bid, which also includes explanations of why the school is needed.

Support must also be demonstrated and the Farrells have been delighted at the public response to their plans – more than 140 parents registered their interest to say the school would be their first choice.

Mr Farrell said: “The fact Lord Henley, Michael Walby and Ian Lancaster are involved demonstrates that local people of high standing have got confidence in the governance and proposals, which are really important to the Department for Education.

“If this is approved people must remember that this school will be owned by the taxpayer, UK plc, not us.

“This has the potential for £6m worth of development and investment into primary education in Carlisle that will last way beyond my lifetime and many others.

“The construction will last 40 to 50 years minimum, so this is something for Carlisle children and their families for generations to come.”

Mr Farrell expects to hear within the next month if they will be invited to interview at the Department for Education in London before a final decision is expected in January.

The new school would be built beside the existing nursery, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week.

Last month Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to open 500 new free schools across the country by 2020.

Free schools are self-governing and free from local council control. They receive funding direct from central government.

Charities, groups of teachers, existing schools and parents can set up new schools if they can show that they are needed and wanted by a local community.

Cumbria has one existing free school, Chetwynde in Barrow. Chetwynde had been Barrow’s only fee-paying, independent school.

After being rescued from closure, the school went on to convert and become a free school in September 2014.