A FORMER school which was destroyed by fire is “just a different kind of eyesore” according to a parish council.

Gainford and Langdon Parish Council have expressed concerns over the old St Peter’s School, in Gainford, which has been partly demolished following a fire in early March.

Police deemed the four-storey building “unsafe to enter” following the suspicious blaze and part of it was then demolished to reduce the risk to the public.

However, councillors say not enough has been done to secure the rubble and fears have also been expressed over the lack of progress to develop the site.

Council chairman, Councillor Simon Platten, said: “The removal of a dangerous building and all the vandalism and anti-social behaviour it brought is welcome however the rubble bund the site has been secured against entry with shows little regard for safety.

“It's just a different kind of eyesore and problem. We are also concerned that we are no further forward in the process of developing the whole site.”

The school site has been empty for almost 20 years.

It was built in 1899 initially as an orphanage and then became a residential school for about 100 pupils but closed in 1983.

In 1986 it became a nursing home but shut in 1998 and has not been used since.

The Victorian red brick building has since become rundown and suffered from vandalism, leading to calls from villagers for action to redevelop the site.

However, in recent years, Durham County Council has extended the village’s conservation area to include the site which upset locals who wanted to see the building pulled down.

The community has repeatedly called for it to be used as accommodation for older people but despite such a scheme receiving planning consent it failed to come to fruition.

Last year plans were approved to demolish part of the building, turn other parts into apartments and build new houses on the site.

However, Ruttle Plant, which owns the building, said plans were still in place to develop the site.

Owner, Harry Ruttle, said: “It will be all tidied up.”

Durham County Council has also promised to re-visit the site to make sure it is safe.

Stuart Timmiss, the county council’s head of planning and assets, said: “Our building control officers have carried out a number of inspections of the property since the fire to ensure the continued safety of the public.

“Following concerns raised by the parish council we will visit the property again this week to make sure that the site remains in a safe condition.”