Belmont Community School campus plans approved

The new campus will house a primary and secondary school, as well as sports facilities

Plans for a new multi-school campus which will provide a "world class" education for thousands of children in County Durham have been approved.

The site will house a new primary and secondary school, including sports facilities, costing around £34m.

It comes after the existing buildings at Belmont Church of England Junior School and Belmont Community School were deemed no longer fit for purpose.

Belmont Community School principal Paul Marsden said it was a "no brainer".

"We have been delivering education to children in substandard buildings for a long time," he said.

"This will give us world class facilities to deliver world class education for our children. The community usage is a real benefit."

'Shouting and swearing'

The three-storey secondary school and two-storey primary school will be built on the existing sports field.

The current school buildings, which date from the 1960s and 70s, will be demolished.

At present there are 269 pupils at the primary school, which could be increased to 341, with a further 1,050 pupils proposed for the secondary school.

The existing Belmont Community School site was deemed unfit for purpose

New sports facilities will consist of an indoor hall and outdoor pitches, with clubs from the community able to make use of them.

The application received 10 objections from residents, with concerns over noise a recurring issue.

Simon Wilmot, whose house backs onto the school field, told councillors that people's quality of life would be affected.

"It's a heavily populated area and allowing the pitches to operate all year round, all weekend until after nine or 10 o'clock at night will significantly affect the quality of life of those nearby, especially due to the noise levels and the language," he said.

"I won't be able to enjoy my garden with my young children for fear of the shouting and swearing constantly from those pitches."

Mr Marsden said he understood neighbours' concerns over noise was "happy to work with them".