St Augustine's Grammar School Old Boys
The Last Moments

Wrecked School to be Demolished

Manchester Evening News 22/7/88

A DERELICT school which became target for vandals and thieves is to be demolished to make way for a housing estate.Residents of the Sharston area have been plagued by rowdy youths smashing windows and breaking into the disused St Paul’s RC High School building, formerly the St John Plessington School on Stancliffe Road. Now councillors have granted permission for the school to be pulled down. Coun Anne Caroll said the plans would bring big improvements for residents living opposite the eyesore. "Householders in Stancliffe Road are fed up to the back teeth with vandals and thieves virtually takin the school away in wheelbarrows.’ she continued. "I’m sure this development will be given a warm welcome." Part of the vacant site will be taken over by Manchester city council to be used as a playing field an extend Hollyhedge Park. This will release land at Sharston playing fields and Sharston Green, which has been earmarked for a business park. The remaining land and a small piece of the existing Hollyhedge parkiand will be developed for residential use by the site owners, Shrewsbury Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees. A city council spokesman said: This development will enable us to go ahead with proposals to expand facilities in the park."The city council is considering plans to develop Sharston Green and the extension to Hollyhedg Park will compensate for any loss of playing field which may result from that development"