A COMMUNITY centre is to close later this year, despite a campaign to keep it open, and will be moving into a revamped school building.

Trustees at Annfield Plain Community Centre, near Stanley, have agreed raising £380,000 for repairs is unrealistic and the facility will shut in late summer.

But the centre has come to an arrangement with Hare Law School, which is moving to the former Greencroft school and is due to open in September.

Croft Community School, as it will be known, has said the centre will be able to run its activities from the new facility.

Hugh Embleton, secretary for Annfield Plain Community Centre said: “No-one wants to see the closure of the centre but the future we see our future as working alongside Harelaw school in this partnership.

“This will be a big step forward and enable our committee members to provide a modern service for the local community for many years to come.

“We fought for quite a while to keep the community centre open but the money involved and what we would have to raise was not feasible.”

The school site has been empty since the former Greencroft Business and Enterprise Community School moved to the £30m purpose built North Durham Academy site in Stanley in 2013.

Hare Law School offers specialist education teaching for children with complex educational needs, including autism, from four to 16-years-old.

But the current site, near Annfield Plain, was deemed inadequate and could not cater for the school’s desire to expand what is currently on offer.

Work has been carried out to demolition of around a third of the existing building and remodel of the existing structure.

The school’s headteacher Maggie Collins said: “It is a community school that will offer a set of partnerships between the school and other resources in the area.

“The integrated focus is on learning, being healthy, youth and community engagement and youth development, which will lead to greater learning, stronger families and healthier communities.

“The shared resources will enhance opportunities for people in the surrounding area.”

Durham County Council is looking for uses for the former Hare Law school site and ex-community centre.

Asset services manager Gerard Darby said: “If there is no alternative use identified for the vacant buildings, we would begin the process of declaring them surplus to enable us to seek potential buyers.”