Asbestos will need to be removed from a former school in Welshpool before it can be demolished to make way for a housing development.

With 16 new homes set to be built on the site of the former Gungrog Church in Wales Nursery and Infant School in Welshpool, a few extra steps need to be taken before demolition of the old building can be carried out.

An application for planning permission to demolish the building and erect 16 bungalows on the site was approved earlier this year, after Powys County Council housing services expressed an interest in acquiring the site to develop affordable council homes for local people in 2023.

However, before demolition can begin, asbestos will need to be removed from the premises after it was found in several areas of the building.

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This was revealed in the project’s Demolition Method Statement, which said: “An asbestos survey has already been carried out and revealed that there is asbestos at numerous locations within the existing building which would have to be removed by licenced contractors prior to demolition taking place.”

The school closed in 2017 and apart from a brief period during the Covid-19 pandemic when it was used as a vaccine centre, has been vacant ever since. After it was declared surplus by Powys County Council, the housing department hoped to use it to meet housing needs in the area.

The project will see 12 one bedroom bungalows and four two bedroom bungalows built on the site, with the statement adding that works are expected to begin Autumn 2024.

The demolition method statement added: “The contract for the demolition works is yet to be agreed but is expected to be undertaken in the region of four weeks on site.

"It is anticipated that works will commence from autumn 2024 which will coincide with the preferred time suggested in the ecological survey

“This method statement is being submitted as part of a planning application which includes demolishing the existing buildings on site and develop 16 new rentable social houses to help meet the need in this area.”