Berkeley Institute will build its senior school on a new 7.42-acre site, chairman of the school's board of governors Calvin White has revealed.

While the school was not expected to be completed until the year 2000, Mr.

White -- borrowing a quote from Education Minister Jerome Dill -- said Berkeley will continue to offer "at least as good as the very best that the private school system has to offer''.

Berkeley, which will begin classes for 450 students today as one of the Island's two senior secondary schools, was scheduled to undergo renovations from this summer and be completed as a senior school facility for 750 students by September, 1999.

The other senior school, CedarBridge Academy at Prospect, will open next week with more than 1,100 students.

But Berkeley suffered setbacks caused by delays in Government's decision on the number of senior schools and arbitration over selecting applicants for top teaching posts.

However, Mr. White -- disclosing the school's new plans at a gala banquet at Southampton Princess on Saturday which marked exactly 100 years since it opened its doors at Samaritan's Lodge on Court Street -- said the school will have a brand new state-of-the-art facility if all goes according to the revised plans.

The plans include developing a new campus across the street from Berkeley on the Ridgeway property which spans Berkeley Road, from St. John's Road to opposite Northlands Primary.

This, Mr. White said, will allow construction to take place without disrupting classes at the existing school.

"The Ridgeway site, which embraces The Haven, also affords the possibility of a continuous process, reducing the construction time whilst avoiding any major disruptions to the running of the school associated with construction activity,'' he said.

Due to the zoning of the Ridgeway site, a development order will need to be submitted with the plan.

Negotiations -- including discussions on the future of the school's current site and the relocation of The Haven -- were also continuing with Government, trustees of The Haven, and Berkeley's board, Mr. White added.

With the pre-design and project programme briefs 90 percent completed, he said: "The Ministry of Works and Engineering, Parks and Housing expects them to be presented to the Berkeley Institute board of governors and the Ministry of Education, for approval by September 22.

"Following the presentations, the reports will be submitted for sign-off.'' Mr. White also said the board expected schematic design drawings to be completed and available for review by the middle of November; design development to be finished by February 15 next year; construction documents to be ready by July 31, 1998; bids and negotiations to be completed by August 15, 1998; construction to begin by October 15, 1998, and the school to be completed by December 15, 2000.

The cost of the project was still under evaluation, he said. Once that has been completed, it will be presented to the Cabinet Capital Development Committee and subsequently to the Finance Ministry before it is disclosed to the public.

"This ambitious schedule can only be achieved with full cooperation from all Berkeleyites, friends of the school and the community at large,'' Mr. White told some 600 Berkeleyites and friends -- including the Premier, the Opposition Leader, the Finance Minister, and top civil servants -- who gathered at the black-tie dinner.

"We are assured of a wonderful plant as long as we can sign on the dotted line. The longer it will take to sign, the longer we will remain behind. We're already a year behind.''