West Berkshire Council has been awarded £4 million of lottery cash to restore Tudor Shaw House, on condition that the school gives up teaching sports in a corner of the mansion.

But as Trinity has no spare land of its own, the council has to buy land from the Mormon church and Southern Electric to relocate the sports hall.

Costs are being kept under wraps, however, officials are hopeful land at nearby Fir Tree School can be sold off for housing to pay towards Trinity’s new facility.

This is because the teacher training centre at Fir Tree will move to Shaw House when the renovation is completed, and the primary is unlikely to need the land as class sizes are falling.

Senior councillors will discuss the deal on Thursday, but if they say no, the Shaw House restoration will be off.