Plans to demolish secondary school submitted

Plans to demolish a secondary school and create a "re-imagined" campus have been submitted to a local authority.

St Aidan's Catholic Academy in Ashbrooke, Sunderland, wants to replace its existing school buildings after it concluded they were too expensive to refurbish.

The development would be made under the government's School Replacement Programme, which aims to rebuild schools when the condition of their buildings demand it.

Planning documents submitted to Sunderland City Council said the building work would be carried out in phases to allow teaching to continue at the site.

Under the plans, the new campus would consist of two three-storey buildings, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The first would be the main teaching block made up of classrooms, an assembly hall and a dining area. The second would contain a sports hall and sixth-form area.

A design and access statement submitted to the council said the project was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-imagine the campus" and "capitalise on its attractive setting within the Ashbrooke Conservation Area".

According to the design documents, the new school would have a "welcoming faith garden, a horticultural hub for community engagement" and a dining area.

It would also contain "sensory gardens", habitat trails and an outdoor construction skills area.

A planning statement for the project said all of the existing school buildings would be replaced after a Department for Education appraisal found them to be "unable to properly support secondary education" and "beyond any economically viable refurbishment".

An online consultation has now opened to allow people to have their say on the plans.

A decision is due by October.

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