Abandoned Sunday school to be bulldozed for new houses

A derelict former Sunday school is set to for demolition in favour of three new five-bedroom homes, despite concerns about disruption to nearby bats. 

Built in the 1890s, the Taunton Sunday School on Newmarket Road has been empty since at least 2015, with Tameside Council’s (TMBC) planning department saying it is “in poor condition with structural problems”. 

The council granted permission for developers to bulldoze the old building to construct two semi-detached houses and another three-storey detached home. 

A previous Sunday school was on the site as early as 1820. 

Developers say the new houses will reclaim bricks and stone copings from the school, reusing them for their front garden walls. 

However, the presence of bats could have scuppered the plans. 

TMBC carried out two bat surveys, and although they found no bats roosting in the old school, they conceded in their planning report that: “The bat droppings previously recorded are therefore due to either bats occasionally foraging in the building or occasional use by a low number of bats as a roost. 

“As bats may on occasion utilise the building as a roost, it is recommended that precautionary measures are incorporated during demolition which will be conditioned accordingly.” 

Planning chiefs also put a restriction on cutting down any trees or shrubs on the site due to nesting birds, which are protected by law. 

The scheme must begin within three years.