Contractors have moved onto the former South Deal Primary site in Mill Road, Deal, to start preparation work on a house building project.

The school closed in 2007 as part of county council cutbacks and was amalgamated with Mongeham Primary to create Hornbeam School, Mongeham Road.

Big protests were staged in the town to fight the plans to shut South Deal but politicians at County Hall decided after consultations to move the pupils to the Mongeham school.

A nursery occupied part of the empty building when the classrooms closed and has since moved to the children’s centre by The Downs Primary at Walmer.

The original redevelopment plans approved by the district council were for 38 homes and six flats, the construction of a vehicle access, car parking and landscaping, and also for the existing school buildings to be demolished.