Demolition plans lodged for city primary school

Plans have been drawn up for the demolition of a primary school in Leicester which was vacated over concrete safety fears.

Parks Primary School, in New Parks, has been closed since 2023 when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was discovered in the 1940s building.

Contractors for the Department for Education (DfE) have lodged a demolition notification with Leicester City Council setting out proposals to clear the site in readiness for a replacement school building.

About 450 pupils are currently being taught in 17 temporary classrooms on the school grounds.

In planning documents sent to the council, agents for contractor Morgan Sindall said: "Upon completion of demolition, the site will be left in a safe, tidy and secure condition pending the subsequent replacement school development.

"Any temporary post-demolition treatment will be managed to ensure the site remains safe and appropriately controlled until the next phase of works commences."

RAAC panels - a lightweight form of concrete used to build schools from the 1950s until the mid-1990s - led to a number of structural failures.

Pupils at Mayflower Primary School, in Crown Hills, were also moved to temporary classrooms after RAAC was discovered in their building's roof.

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