Grantham College building closed over collapse-prone concrete to be demolished and rebuilt with new classrooms and teaching spaces

A school building closed due to collapse-prone concrete will be demolished to make way for new classrooms and teaching space.

South Kesteven District Council has received two planning applications from Grantham College, in Stonebridge Road, for the existing link block in May and June.

Both proposals, which have now been approved, sought permission to demolish the building and construct three teaching spaces on the lower ground floor and six classrooms on the ground floor.

The link block was vacated in 2023 due to safety concerns after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found to have been used in its construction.

The affected areas within the college included all rooms in the link block, two rooms and some offices and storerooms in the engineering block, part of a large brick workshop and the library block.

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Since then, students have been using a temporary building across Stonebridge Road.

In the design and access statement, the link block was described as a ‘key intersection’ within Grantham College, connecting the main block with Elsham House and the engineering block via a covered footbridge.

The statement also said that following an investigation, RAAC was identified within the building’s structure in 2024, allowing the college to apply for and secure funding from the School Rebuilding Programme to replace the affected facilities.