Crumbling primary school to be demolished

A SCHOOL in East Yorkshire is to be demolished and completely rebuilt, it has now been confirmed, because it is “not suitable for modern teaching”.

“Crumbling” Hilderthorpe Primary School in Bridlington will be torn down to create a completely new facility at the same site.

The decision to rebuild comes after it was claimed the presence of asbestos would have hampered repair work. A source said: “It’s been a concern for four to five years. The roof won’t stay up for much longer.

“It’s actually crumbling. Contractors are having to go inside the roof, which is very difficult”.

But East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the presence of asbestos at the 325-pupil school was not the key factor in their decision.

The authority said the school – which was designed to be used as a hospital during the Cold War if the Russians invaded – was simply not “suitable for modern teaching”.

Councillor Symon Fraser, cabinet portfolio holder for asset management, housing and environment at the council, hailed the decision as ‘excellent news’, and added: “The council submitted three bids to the Government for phase two of its Priority Schools Building Programme.

“The fund supports major refurbishment, improvement and replacement of school buildings.”

He said three bids were successful and, while the total amount of funding is still to be confirmed, it could result in up to £20 million being allocated for works to improve a number of schools in the area.