Plans for Newcastle's first alternative high school have been put back a year due to delays in gaining planning approval.
Novoschool Principal David Chapman was hoping to open a campus in the former drill hall at 498 King Street next year.
However, planning delays meant the project was unable to get council approval in time for this week's NSW Education Standards Authority deadline.
"We just went straight to the DA and in that process they (the council) brought up some issues," he said.
"To their credit, the council was really quick; they gave us responses in days whenever we got something to them.
"What caught us out in the end is the building is in a flood zone and there were issues around managing that. There was also potential soil contamination. In the end, we didn't have enough time to resolve those issues."
Mr Chapman said he was investigating new locations for the school in 2025.
Information sessions held in recent months have attracted hundreds of parents who are interested in high school alternatives for their children.
Mr Chapman said he had been overwhelmed by the response.
"We had our third parent night last Wednesday and there were another 60 parents there, who were like 'sign us up'.
The school's inspiration is taken from existing alternative schools, including John Marsden's "Alice Miller" school in Victoria, Brightworks School in San Francisco and Peregrine School in Tasmania.
The Year 7-12 school will have two classes of 20 students in each year. The school will adhere to the Board of Studies syllabus, but with an emphasis on "intentional experiential learning".
