DEMOLITION work to bring down the old North Leamington School building is set to start next week – after asbestos has been cleared.
The abandoned Croft Hall site off Cloister Way will make way for 44 new houses and flats after land owners Spitfire Bespoke Homes were granted planning permission by Warwick District Council earlier this year.
The demolition is set to take 16 weeks to complete, before building works on the new homes starts in the spring. Work is currently underway to clear the building of potentially dangerous asbestos.
The former school site has not been in use since it was sold to charity Castel Froma, which runs a neighbouring care home. The charity had originally planned to build its own specialist care unit but later sold the land to developers.
A Spitfire spokesman told The Observer the new homes – six detached houses, six semi-detached townhouses, nine mews houses and 23 apartments – would will range in price from £400,000 to £1million.
News of the demolition has been welcomed by residents, though some raised concern about the high amount of asbestos on the site – exposure to which can cause lung cancer.
Coun Bill Gifford said: “Though some have objections, generally residents do want to see the old school demolished.
“It has been rotting and vandalised for many years.
“However they do want the building to be demolished with great care, this is particularly important due to the asbestos on the site.”
Joy Mitchell, headteacher at North Leamington School, said: “We are sad to see the old site demolished because we are proud of the history of our school.
“That said, we are pleased to see the space put to positive use and hope that many of the children that ultimately live there will become members of our school community on our new site.”
