Plans have been lodged for a mortuary in County Durham - next to the entrance of a primary school. 

Change of use forms have been filed with Durham County Council for a bungalow in Spennymoor to be converted to a "funeral services" building for viewings. 

The two-bedroom house is 200 sq meters and would be changed from residential use to funeral services use, with no external changes proposed. 

The proposals would see 1 High Grange Road, in Spennymoor, turned into a branch of Hardy's Funeral Services, which already has locations in Crook and Willington. 

The new location is at the entrance of King Street Primary School, in Spennymoor. 

The site is planned as a "place where bereaved families can visit their deceased relatives discreetly away from the general public."

Applicants added: "We would be considerate towards school start and leaving times to avoid vehicle movements at these times."

John Taylor, an architect commissioned by Hardy's Funeral Services, added that the company had looked at town centre properties.

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But in correspondence with the council, he concluded that "all of which are either too big for our use, in a state of semi-dereliction, have no rear access, or no discreet rear access for unloading or loading of a vehicle, have no vehicle parking for visiting clients to due to parking restrictions. 

He added: "Funeral service properties tend not to occupy town centre shopping properties." 

The garage on the site will be used for loading and unloading vehicles via the garage side door, into the main property through the side door.