A CLEVEDON School building largely condemned due to problems with the concrete used to build it – will be demolished in 2027, if plans are approved.

An application to confirm approval to demolish the EFAC block at the Valley Road school has been submitted to North Somerset Council on behalf of the Futura Learning Partnership.

“The school has been selected for the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), which delivers major
rebuilding and refurbishment projects for school and sixth form college buildings prioritised according to condition,” the application said.

It comes after the building was found to contain HAC (high alumina cement), which can become unstable when damp, and has led to a number of school buildings being closed.

The presence of HAC was determined amid the 2023 scandal and resultant checks over the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in UK schools, which led to a swathe being closed.

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“In September 2023, a RAAC survey commissioned by the Trust confirmed that while RAAC was not present, high alumina cement (HAC) was identified in the roof and floor structures of the main tower block and parts of the adjacent two-storey wings within Block EFAC.

“Large parts of the building are therefore condemned and only parts of EFAC are still in use.”

In October 2023, temporary marquees were installed to maintain classes, which were later replaced with longer-term temporary teaching blocks.

Now, the application lays out plans for the EFAC block to be demolished during the 2027 summer holidays, “when EFAC will have been vacated entirely”.

“Future Learning Partnership require written confirmation that demolition of the building is permitted to assist with ongoing contractual discussions with third parties,” it added.

For more details of the plans, log on to somerset.gov.uk and search application reference 25/P/1880/DEA.

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