DOZENS of people have objected to plans to demolish a Herefordshire school.

In a proposal submitted to Herefordshire Council to determine whether prior approval was needed for demolition, applicant Gerard Davies said he wanted to demolish old Victorian school buildings in Garway as they are no longer needed, leaving the site as a concrete yard.

But the application has upset many locals, with 33 objectors writing in to Herefordshire Council with their objections.

Objectors said the building had fallen into disrepair but could be restored to provide accommodation.

"There are no other buildings from this era and to demolish it and replace it with a concrete yard would be such a loss to the village's history," wrote Susan Thomas.

Her thoughts were echoed by others including Scott Baldock, who said it would be a great pity to lose a part of Garway's history.

Others raised their concerns as to what the future would hold for the site if the building was to be demolished without plans for future development in place.

"A concreted yard left behind (as stated in the application) is not acceptable as it would be unsightly in the middle of the village," wrote Hilary Smallwood.

Campaign charity Save Britain's Heritage also registered their objections to the plans, saying little to no information had been given to justify how the demolition would be classed as permitted development.

"The building has not been proven to be beyond repair or to pose a public health risk," the charity said.

They further objected on the grounds that the proposal involved the needless loss of one of the village's oldest buildings.

"We note that a previous application by the current applicant for conversion into two dwellings in 2013 was granted and welcomed by the community. We therefore question why this precedent for conversion has been abandoned in favour of demolition, and should the applicant claim conversion is now no longer possible, why the building has been allowed to deteriorate to that extent," they said.

Planners found prior approval is needed for the plans due to the visual prominence of the site, its close relationship with sensitive receptors, and the potential implications of contaminated land on the site and its impact on protected species.