The provincial government announced a more-than $7-million investment to secure a new site for Catholic Central High School.

The funding will support the purchase of 4.5 hectares of land, which the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board has said is needed to hold the more than 900 students expected.

The land is at 2465 McDougall Avenue, less than one kilometre from the existing building.

"We believe the new location provides us with the opportunity and flexibility to create a beautiful new school without the additional costs and delays that would have been associated with trying to adapt the downtown site to meet our needs," said director of education Terry Lyons.

In October 2016, the provincial government promised $26 million in funding for the new school to be built. At the time it was expected to be built on the old Windsor Arena and Water World site. It was the seventh time in seven years that the Catholic school board had pushed for provincial funding to be secured.

This May, the City of Windsor announced it was accepting expressions of interest for the former Windsor Arena site, after Lyons said the site was too small for a school.