School that had one pupil to be turned into houses

The former rural school will be turned into housing (artist's impression)

A rural school that closed with one pupil on its roll will be converted into housing.

Plans to renovate the Forest of Teesdale Primary School and the schoolmaster's house in County Durham were approved by council planners last week.

It closed in 2022 after Durham County Council said a dwindling local population made it impossible for it to continue.

The restoration and redevelopment works by the site's owners, James Donaldson and Claire Proctor, will create two homes - of four and five bedrooms.

Raby Estates sold the 165-year-old building and schoolmaster's house in 2023, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A proposal to renovate the buildings in Forest-in-Teesdale was submitted due to their dilapidated condition, the applicants said.

A planning statement said: "Whilst both the school and the schoolhouse appear largely structurally intact, both are also in a state of considerable disrepair internally."

Extensive refurbishment of the interior of the schoolhouse was "necessary and desirable", while outbuildings will be demolished, the application said.

The owners said they hoped to maintain the historic building's unique character despite the major changes, "particularly the main and very prominent front elevations".