Council gives green light for demolition of Filey School’s ‘structurally unsafe’ former swimming pool

Earlier this year the Coast and Vale Learning Trust submitted a planning application for permission to demolish and restore the site of its former swimming pool which was closed in 2013 and had become “structurally unsafe”.

Michaela Dennis, the Trust’s chief operating officer said that a “high level of asbestos” was discovered at the site and subsequently removed in April and that following the site’s closure, the pool was concreted in and most of the utilities had been capped.

According to Ms Dennis, only the shell of the building and the steelworks remain in place.

However, the Learning Trust has now been told that permission for the demolition is not required from the planning authority.

On Thursday, June 22, David Walker, head of planning, said: “I write to confirm that the prior approval of the Local Planning Authority is not required for the demolition and site restoration set out within the application.”

Mr Walker added: “Please note that this decision solely relates to the method of demolition and any proposed restoration of the site.

“It does not cover matters outside this scope, namely the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Environmental Health legislation, the Highways Act and Building Regulations.”

The demolition is now set to take place over the six-week school summer holidays between July and September when “few staff and no students are on site”.

The Trust has said that a licensed contractor will be engaged to remove the remaining fabric of the building and the steelwork and to make the site safe.

The site will be cleared, leaving the base of the building which could support some storage and would be left as a flat base that can be used to create a small planting opportunity, according to the Coast and Vale Learning Trust.

The submitted planning application states: “Once cleared, the foundations of the building will be examined with the intention of adding a mixture of outdoor storage and foliage to the area to make the area fit in with the open playgrounds.”

A site notice is displayed outside of the school site on highway sign poles by the side of the main road and on the public pathway.