A £2.5 million pound building programme due to start at Tavistock College this summer has been thrown into disarray after objections by the Environment Agency.

The new international centre will provide 16 desperately needed new classrooms at the school, which this year is facing a 10% rise in student numbers for the September intake.

But the Devon County Council planning application for the scheme ran into problems when the Environment Agency raised concerns over flood risks at the site.

John Simes, college principal, said: ?It?s terribly annoying, exceptionally frustrating and, of course, it affects the way we work. It?s going to delay us for certainly two months.?

Mr Simes said the college had been forced to draw up a new timetable to account for the lack of space for staff and pupils during construction work. This will still be implemented, despite the delay.

He said: ?You can easily lose heart, and believe me, it?s tempting to do that, but I?m ever optimistic.

?I know things will be done properly and it will happen ? at the moment we?re just trying to keep spirits up because the staff, the students and parents are going to be disappointed by this.

?I think it?s fair to say this particular problem should have been anticipated and a study carried out months ago.?

West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett said he was ?bitterly frustrated and disappointed? at the situation.

He said: ?An enormous amount of work went in to secure this essential investment for Tavistock College.

?I am extremely disappointed the planning application went in so late and I cannot understand the Environment Agency?s objections ? the new buildings will be less in the flood plain than the existing ones.

?I will be contacting the chief executive of the Environment Agency ? I want an explanation for this unacceptable delay.?

Cllr Roy Connolly, Tavistock?s representative on the county council, said: ?We are terribly disappointed. We?ve got all this funding in position, with a plan to start building over the summer period, and it?s all been put on hold at the last minute by the Environment Agency.

?We?ve now got to really make every effort to get this project back on schedule.?

A spokesman for Devon County Council said normally, there would be ?absolutely no problem? with a planning application being heard in May, for a July construction start.

He said: ?We had discussions with the Environment Agency last year, when we were beginning to put this plan together, and at that time, we understood there would not be problems over concerns about flooding. The objection to the planning application came as something of a surprise.?

The spokesman said work was going ahead ?urgently? on a risk assessment report, in the hope the Environment Agency?s objections could be dealt with.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: ?The proposed development is within an indicative flood plain and under new planning guidance, which came out after the floods in 2000, the applicant should attach a detailed flood risk assessment to their application.

?They haven?t done so, so as a routine procedure, we object until they submit the flood risk assessment.?

The planning setback follows another disappointment at the college. Drainage work costing some £90,000 on the school?s fields was due to start this summer, but had to be delayed following a review of the scheme by engineers. It is now unlikely to start before next year.

However, work has been completed on the new 216sq metre international exhibition area in the centre of the school and the £120,000 covered picnic area should be finished next week.