A Blackpool school destroyed by arsonists two years ago is set to face an exciting new future.

Cllr Ivan Taylor, Blackpool Council's lead member for children, laid the foundation stone at the new-look Devonshire Road Primary School.

It is hoped the £7m project -- which began in April -- will be completed by the start of the next school year and will combine both infant and junior schools.

The new building replaces the original listed Victorian building which was gutted in a blaze in August 2003.

Since then pupils have been crammed into a disused primary school building at Grange Park.

In September 2006 they will be able to enjoy classes at the new state-of-the-art school which is set to include a tech dec kand roof garden for outdoor science and environmental studies, a flexible social area for dining and play and a new multi-use games area that will provide a year round facility for both the school and the local community.

Cllr Taylor said: "This is a really innovative development with up to the minute technology which will excite the pupils, staff and visitors alike.

It is a worthy replacement for the old Devonshire School which served the community so well for 100 years."

Headteacher Neil Hodgkins said: "The laying of the foundation stone is another significant moment in the development of the new school and comes at an exciting time when the building is really starting to take shape."

Two brothers, aged 10 and 12, pleaded guilty to arson and burglary at the school, and an 11-year-old accomplice admitted burglary at the site. All three were issued with referral orders in February 2004.