ONLY a one in 100 year event stands in the way of Innisfail getting a $37.5 million new high school and learning precinct.

Queensland Education and Training Minister Rod Welford in Innisfail yesterday announced the proposed project that will move the high school, which was heavily damaged by Cyclone Larry, to the TAFE site.

"This means rather than patch up the high school, we will be creating a 21st Century facility complete with indoor sports, an auditorium, science lab, IT centre and library," he said.

"We will talk to council about the library being a community education library accessible to the wider community."

"The sports centre will also receive a further $2.2 million upgrade so it can double as a cyclone shelter, making it a place of safety for the community in the event of a natural disaster.

However, Cassowary Coast Mayor Bill Shannon said while the announcement was great news, the council's own planning laws may stand in the way.

He said the site may need flood mitigation work for it to go ahead and if necessary, the intervention of the State Government.

"If council's planning scheme is too rigid in relation to one in a hundred year flood then that's when the minister should step in," Cr Shannon said.

"Especially if the accuracy and the modelling is within millimetres of either allowing the project to go ahead or fail."

Mr Welford said he would intervene if necessary.

"We will work with local government, but I do not see those issues as a major impediment to the project," he said.

Member for Mulgrave Warren Pitt said it was expected that all facilities would be completed for the start of the 2010 school year.

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