Plans to convert an old Victorian school in Nailsea town centre into upmarket homes have gone on display.

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   Redundant as a school after more than 150 years plans for 12 new homes are in the pipeline

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   The empty school has a large road frontage and includes several terrapin classrooms

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   This is the conversion plan being put forward by development consultants Colliers International

Development consulting agency Colliers International put the designs on show at a well attended public exhibition.

The proposals include extensions to the 19th century single-storey stone school building to make three three-bed and three one-bed units.

The redevelopment also includes building six three-bed semi-detached houses in the playground.

The former Four Oaks Primary School at Silver Street closed in August 2003.

More than 40 residents viewed the pre-application drawings put on display at the Methodist church on Tuesday evening.

Planning applications are due to be submitted at the end of August and if granted the one acre site will be sold as a development plot.

Colliers International surveyor Nicholas More said: “Nearly 40 people came to the exhibition and were generally supportive and made some helpful comments.

“We intend to submit two applications, one for conversion and another for outline planning permission for the new build.”

Mr More confirmed there are no listed-building restrictions on the site and the proposals did not include any social housing.

Former infant school teacher Olive Grigg who lives in Nailsea worked at Four Oaks for 18 years until she retired in 1990.

She said: “I am pleased they are not going to destroy the building which I was worried about but why couldn’t they put affordable housing for young people in the playground.”

Mrs Grigg added that the head teacher at the time, the late Christine Milton who was later a chairman of Nailsea Town Council chairman, wrongly believed the school had listed building status and because of this refused to allow staff or children to stick any drawing pins in the classroom walls.

Four Oaks was first opened as a school in December 1844 when it was called Christ Church.

It attracted rural children whose parents worked on the land and youngsters from the coal-mining and glass-making communities.

It was run by the Anglican National Society and records show when free education was introduced in 1891 there were 182 pupils on roll.

Its 150th anniversary celebrations in 1994 were a major milestone for the then popular village school.

The site comprises of the traditional school building flanked by numerous prefabricated classroom blocks. 

To the rear of the main school campus, at a lower level, is a car park and a grassed area.

It is a in a residential area and new homes are currently being built in the quarry next door.

The school building was last used by the local education authority as teacher training centre and until it moved to the Tithe Barn it was used temporarily for town council meetings.

North Somerset Council marketing and communications officer Zoe Briffitt said: “The disposal of Four Oaks is part of our Office Amalgamation Programme to reduce the number of council buildings from 18 to two main hubs.

“The consultation event was a public exhibition; the purpose of this was to display pre-application drawings for the proposed conversion of these former school buildings for residential use.

“We will consider feedback from the consultation exercise in any proposals for the site.

“The building was previously a council training facility and is now empty and closed down.”

• North Somerset Council is to introduce a new charge to raise funds from developers undertaking new building projects. The money will be used to fund infrastructure needed across the district, for example road schemes and flood defences. The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is currently being introduced across England and Wales. CIL takes the form of a standard charge per m² of additional new floor space and is based on the location, size and type of the new development. Affordable housing developments and developments by charities are exempt from CIL. The council expects to introduce the new ‘planning gain’ charges in spring 2013. The level of the charges is not yet  fixed, and they will be subject to public consultation and examination. The CIL will not be the sole funding source for all development-related infrastructure but will partially replace Section 106 agreements, which may still be required on large sites to provide mitigation for any impacts of development that are not already funded through the CIL. To find out more click HERE.