Raac-riddled school to be rebuilt

A school that had issues with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) will be demolished.

Mid Suffolk's planning committee approved plans for a new building to replace Thurston Community College (TCC) in Norton Road, near Bury St Edmunds.

It will be built north of the existing school, with teaching continuing in the current building until the new one is complete.

The plans were submitted on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE) as part of the government's school rebuilding programme.

The existing school was built using Raac, which was widely used between the 1950s and 1990s as a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, but has a much shorter lifespan and lower durability.

Planning officers told members that water had corroded the material at the school, leaving it structurally unstable.

As part of the scheme, the existing library block would be refurbished to accommodate sixth-form students being relocated from its Beyton Campus.

Enhanced sport and art facilities and garden space for children with special educational needs and disabilities would also be added, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

According to the plans, work is expected to start within months and finish next year. The first students are expected to move into the new building in 2028.

Concerns were raised about the proposals in regards to road safety and the impact of the three-storey building on the landscape.

Victoria Waples, representing the parish council, told planning committee members that the village recognised the need for a new building but there were unresolved concerns.

"Our concern is not with the need for a school but with the form of development that has been put forward," she said.

Councillors asked officers to look at implementing measures to address them, including details on how the school will manage buses, cars and extra tree planting.

The authority's chief planning officer will also write to Suffolk County Council requesting that two crossings, which had been promised but not delivered, were given priority.

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