School site may be used for country homes

East Riding Council will be seeking permission to build on its own land after plans by another developer fell through.

It is hoped the planning permission will help to secure the sale of the land, which is costing the council 500 a month to keep secure.

Brickright Limited withdrew from a contract to buy the land, subject to planning permission, in June. It had wanted to build an enclave of four homes, costing more than 1m each.

But its application ran into objections and was withdrawn a couple of days before it was due to go to a planning meeting in September of 2008.

An East Riding Council spokeswoman said: "Unfortunately, the previous sale has fallen through as a result of the current state of the property market and the perceived risks of securing a planning permission for an alternative use.

"The council is now looking at submitting a planning application itself which will help reduce these risks and ensure that the council receives a higher value when the property is sold.

"In the meantime the council is ensuring that the property is kept secure and expects to openly market the property later in the year when a planning permission has been secured."

The school, which catered for children with emotional and behavioural problems, has stood empty after being closed in 2001 on health and safety grounds.

Brickright Limited's application sparked 10 objections, including one from Etton parish council which wanted the site – which is outside the development limit – to be returned to agricultural use.

No-one from the developers or the parish council was available yesterday.