The future of a derelict school building in County Durham has been discussed at an urgent multi-agency meeting.
Representatives from Durham County Council, Durham Constabulary and Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service have met with county councillors to discuss ways forward following a major blaze at the former Greenland Primary School in South Moor, Stanley.
Firefighters spent eight hours tackling the fire, which saw the roof of the building almost completely destroyed and left much of the rest of the building unsafe.
Now the council and it partners are working to reassure residents that they are making every effort to secure the long-term future of the site, which was sold by the authority in 2016.
The council is in contact with the current owner of the building and hopes that an agreement can be reached that will see the demolition of the property and eventual redevelopment of the site.
Oliver Sherratt, head of environment, said: “We understand that the condition of the building is a cause of concern for those living nearby so we would like to reassure them that we are working extremely hard with our partners to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
“Ideally, we would like to see the building demolished and the site redeveloped and brought back into use and that will be the driving factor behind our discussions with the owner.
“In the meantime, we would ask that residents bear with us and continue to report any incidences of anti-social behaviour.”
Fencing has been placed around the site to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians and neighbourhood wardens are carrying out additional patrols.
Cllr Carole Hampson, ward member for Craghead and South Moor, said: “The council and its partners have been working hard over the past couple of weeks to deal with the immediate aftermath of the fire but it is now time for the owner of the property to step in and take action over the long-term future of the building.
“We know that residents are concerned about the site and really want to reassure those living near the building that we will continue to do all we can to ensure the situation is resolved.”
Anyone who has any information about the fire or who would like to report anti-social behaviour in the area is asked to call 101.
A Durham Constabulary spokeswoman said: “We are treating the incident at the former Greenland Primary School as arson. Anyone who has any information that could help our enquiries should contact us on 101, quoting incident number 377 of June 8.”
You can also call the independent charity, FireStoppers, anonymously on 0800 169 5558.
