Plans have been submitted to build 22 homes on the site of a former Suffolk middle school which closed in 2016.

The former site of St James School in Bury St Edmunds is earmarked for 22 new homes under new plans.

Having stood empty for six years, the school was the last Church of England voluntarily aided middle school in Suffolk.

The site was used by Sybil Andrews Academy for a few months in 2016, but has been empty for six years.

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The planning application states that the site was initially considered for another school but the plans have "since been axed".

The new proposals are for the development of the existing buildings to form two independent dwellings and eleven apartments.

If given the green light by West Suffolk Council, a total of nine houses will be built in two different groups, including a terrace of three and a terrace of six.

A spokesman for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich said: “I am pleased to confirm that M&D have applied for planning permission for redevelopment of the former St James CEVA Middle School in Vinefields, Bury St Edmunds. 

“It will be good to see a new use for the site, which was a middle school from the 1970s until its closure in 2016 as part of School Organisation Review.

“After the school closed, Suffolk County Council, which has statutory responsibility for school places, confirmed there is no need for a new school in the area.

“The proceeds from the sale will enable the Diocese to reinvest in education within Suffolk in the coming years.”