Raac-hit school's buildings to be replaced

Demolition work is expected to begin in the next few weeks

A school's buildings affected by unsafe concrete will be demolished and replaced with a new campus.

Hundreds of pupils at St Leonard's Catholic School, in Durham, have been taught in temporary accommodation including a PE hall and a hotel since Raac was discovered last August.

The latest plans for the demolition of several buildings and construction of replacement facilities have now been approved by Durham County Council and should be completed by 2027.

Some nearby residents had opposed the plan, warning it was "the wrong building in the wrong place".

The school's Springwell Hall and sixth form building, which are unaffected, will be retained.

'Decrepit' and 'unsightly'

Approval comes after an application to demolish disused buildings elsewhere on the site was approved last month.

Broken windows and cold classrooms were some of the conditions facing pupils and staff, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Chair of governors Jim Cunningham described the school as "decrepit, unsightly, and by far one of the worst teaching and learning environments I’ve witnessed in over 20 years".

He told a planning meeting of the coalition-led council he was "stunned at the level of deterioration across the school facilities, which aren't fit for the 20th Century let alone the 21st".

St Leonard's officials say students must be in part of the new site no later than April 2026, as any delays will have a "catastrophic impact" on that year's GCSE cohort.

'Totally abandoned'

Some residents and local councillors criticised the new design.

Grenville Holland, chairman of City of Durham Parish Council, said: "It's not appropriate for such a sensitive and closed site within the Durham Conservation Area.

"This is the wrong building in the wrong place."

Nathan Hunt, who lives nearby, said: "We’ve been told throughout this process that pressure from above is so severe, that the application must be approved. Is this fair and is this right? We feel totally abandoned."

The planning committee voted unanimously to approve the proposal, with Conservative Patricia Jopling saying she thought the developers had "done as much as they can to mitigate the effect on residents".