Demolition of Kingmsead School's main building at Wiveliscombe is underway after it was declared 'unfit' for use.

Workers and machines are on site to pull down the school's main building as part of a £10 million project to upgrade the campus.

The plans, devised by AHR Architects, will see a new teaching and administration building replace the existing main block which has been declared "no longer fit for purpose" by the Department for Education.

The works are part of a national project to rebuild or refurbish school buildings which are deemed to be in the worst condition in the country. Kingsmead's main block, which was built in 1953, was judged as amongst the worst, and earmarked for demolition.

The footprint of the demolished block will be replaced in part with a grassy play area, that AHR say will form the "social heart" of the campus. The plans will also see new physical fences, gates and barriers erected as a safeguarding measure.

The demolition follows corrosion to the main building as a result of water ingress, a condition sometimes known as 'concrete cancer', in addition to the identification of a number of other structural defects.

Conditional approval for the works was granted by the since disbanded Somerset West and Taunton Council in 2020, with works now taking place to make good on the refurbishment proposals.

Despite the main building dating back some 70 years, it was not designated as an important heritage site by the Bristol and Bath Heritage Consultancy. In comments submitted to the planning authorities, the consultancy firm described the main building as a "non-designated heritage asset approaching medium significance."