Former Two Trees School could be demolished

Tameside Council will decide next week if the former site of Two Trees High School in Haughton Green should be demolished.

It will go before the executive cabinet who will vote on the future of the site.

Currently the site is patrolled by security to ensure that no one enters the building, which contains dangerous asbestos. Over the past year this alone has cost £100,000.

According to council documents the demolition is expected to cost £763,480 to remove the asbestos, demolish the building and clear the site. It’s thought works will take around 8 months. A target for completion is July 2021.

The Council’s capital programme is currently £4.9m over budget for the year, however in September the cabinet approved sales of buildings across Tameside including the Hippodrome and Droylsden’s Concord Suite.

The school, and Egerton Park Arts College, originally closed in 2012 to be replaced by the new Denton Community College.

The site was marked for demolition and sale, but has been used by the council for temporary accommodation since its closure.

The three Denton South councillors: Cllr George Newton, Cllr Claire Reid and Cllr Jack Naylor reaffirmed their view that the site should be maintained for educational purposes and that the green spaces should be protected.

They say: “As Councillors, we recognise that the current building is not safe or suitable for a school or any other public building and that with thousands of pounds being spend on on-site security, this solution is fair and understandable.

“George, Claire and Jack believe that the entire site should be maintained for education purposes, and are resolute in their objection to any development which would not protect and enhance the green fields on the Two Trees site.”

They’re asking for people to give their views by heading to https://teamdentonsouth.co.uk/twotrees.