Plans to demolish a former County Durham infant school have been approved by the council.

Closed in 2007, Woodhouse Close Infant School, now known as The Bale Centre, has been deemed as unneeded by Durham County Council.

The former school is set to be demolished in a methodical sequence, starting with the roof and wall structures on the northern side of the building with work expected to take place between January and June 2025.

Both hand and mechanical methods will be employed in the process, with excavators set to load debris into skips.

Asbestos materials identified within the building will be handled by a licensed contractor in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Any unexpected asbestos found during the demolition will result in the suspension of work and modification of the plan.

The demolition process will adhere to specified working hours to minimise disruption in the area.

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Work will be conducted between 7.30am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, and between 7.30am and 2pm on Saturdays and no work will be carried out on Sundays or public holidays.

Durham County Council emphasised the importance of noise and pollution management to protect the amenity of nearby residents.

The ecology team has confirmed there will be no impact on protected species or significant habitats and has raised no objections to the proposal.

Post-demolition plans involve seeding the area with grass until the future use of the site is decided.

There were no objections from the public, indicating no significant community concerns regarding the demolition.

The council has requested notification two weeks before the commencement of work for monitoring and enforcement purposes.