Durham school's RAAC affected buildings to be demolished as part of major redevelopment

St Leonard's Catholic School in County Durham is set to undergo a major redevelopment, with buildings affected by RAAC being demolished. Since the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in 2023, hundreds of students have been taught in temporary accommodation as the buildings were deemed unsafe.

Durham County Council has now given the green light for demolition to begin. The majority of the school's existing structures will be knocked down, with the exception of Springwell Hall and the Sixth Form building, which are unaffected by RAAC and will be incorporated into the new development.

The revamped school site will feature a sports hall, assembly hall, dining hall and a variety of departments, including specialist teaching spaces for art, technology, and music on the ground floor.

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Upper floors will house general teaching spaces for Maths and English, along with other core curriculum subjects including science labs. The plans aim to create a cohesive 'campus' feel.

BAM Construction Ltd has been tasked with building the new school campus. Demolition work is slated to begin in the coming weeks and continue into the Summer holidays, with the EFAB Building set to be demolished in August 2026 following asbestos removal.

However, one household living adjacent to the school has expressed concerns about being surrounded by construction works.

"We are concerned that the second demolition of buildings, close to the eastern exit, is not to commence until August 2026. Whilst this may well relate to the continued need to use the classrooms it begs the question of whether any other options were considered."

"At the end of the planned second demolition, the development will have been underway for over two years. If County Hall is also to be demolished during this time it will only exacerbate the feeling of being sandwiched between building sites."

The City of Durham Trust and local residents have raised objections to the number of trees set to be cut down as part of the demolition works. Following the submission of the plans in May, Mary Kelly Foy, Labour candidate for City of Durham, commended the efforts of students, parents, and staff.

She stated: "This new, impressive school will be the silver lining to a RAAC-loaded cloud that has hung over St Leonard's for the last 9 months. While the Government chose to treat the plight of our young people with complete indifference, the pupils, parents, and staff showed great resilience when school life was turned upside down."

"I was proud to support them at the beginning and I'll continue to be by their side to the end."