THE company which will undertake the massive £63m project to rebuild seven schools in Bromsgrove has been chosen.

HBG PFI Projects Ltd has been picked by Worcestershire County Council after it produced the best bid from a shortlist of three. The firm will now build the new schools as part of a private finance initiative.

HBG will be demolishing and creating new schools at North Bromsgrove High, South Bromsgrove High, Parkside Middle, Meadows First, Sidemoor First, Alvechurch Middle and Crown Meadow First.

County council leader George Lord (Con-Alvechurch) said: "This is a good day for Bromsgrove. It's very good news for all the schools and everyone in the town.

"When these new state-of-the-art schools open residents will be delighted. They will improve standards in education and provide community facilities which everyone should be able to enjoy."

Over the past ten years demand for school places in the town has increased by more than 18 per cent.

The old school buildings are now inadequate, some are in poor states of repair and many sites are too small. The new schools will be built to meet the future demands of the rapidly expanding town. Detailed building plans will be submitted to Bromsgrove District Council this summer with construction work beginning in winter 2005, or early 2006.

All the schools are expected to be available and operational by the middle of 2008.

HBG is one of the UK's largest construction companies and, according to its website, it "prides itself on delivering top quality service and excellent value for money."

The firm has been involved in private finance initiatives since its inception. It has even created a separate and dedicated business purely responsible for securing and operating PFI contracts.

The county council will pay the contractor a monthly unitary charge over 30 years. At the end, the assets remain the property of the council.