THE Treasury this week approved the Initial Business Case for the new submarine school and final design approval is expected soon.

The new school would provide academic and technical training for all Royal Naval personnel entering the submarine service from 2022.

All 11 Royal Navy submarines will be based at HMNB Clyde from 2020, seeing the number of people employed at the base rise from 6,800 to 8,200.

The school will support the Astute hunter killer submarines, as well as the delivery of training for the new Dreadnought nuclear deterrent boats, which provide the United Kingdom with its continuous nuclear deterrent.

All submariners careers, whether afloat or ashore, will be principally conducted from Faslane as part of a£1.3 billion investment in making the Clyde Britain's submarine hub.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: "We are now making a long-term investment of hundreds of millions of pounds to improve and upgrade the waterfront at Clyde to make sure it is ready to support the United Kingdom’s whole submarine fleet.

"As well as a boost to the Scottish economy, this will also bring welcome stability for our personnel, who work hard to help keep Britain safe and secure.

Head of the Submarine Service, Rear Admiral John Weale said: "Our new single integrated operating base will make significant improvements to the work-life balance of our 5,000 submariners.

"By putting our boats and training in one place, our submariners can put down roots in Scotland knowing that they are no longer required to commute from one end of the country to another."

Plans to build a major extension to an existing training facility at Maidstone House on the Faslane site were approved by Argyll and Bute Council in August.