Castleford Civic Centre set to be demolished to build new facilities for SEND pupils
Wakefield Council announced plans to sell the building off in January this year as part of the local authority’s efforts to save money.
Last updated 15th Jul 2025
A town’s civic centre looks set to be demolished in order to build new facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Senior councillors have been asked to approve proposals to dispose of Castleford Civic Centre so the site can be taken over by a neighbouring school.
Wakefield Council announced plans to sell the building off in January this year as part of the local authority’s efforts to save money.
Cabinet members are expected to agree to allow Castleford Academy Trust to acquire the site so it can redeveloped under the Department for Education’s (DfE) school rebuilding programme.
A report said it would allow the school to expand facilities for SEND students.
Details of the proposal are included in a document outlining the council’s plans to appoint a private sector partner to help deliver a range of long-term housing, regeneration and economic growth projects for Castleford.
The report said: “Castleford Academy is an oversubscribed school offering an outstanding education to the young people of Castleford and is a regional leader for operating a high-quality hearing-impaired integrated resource base for children with SEND.
“The academy is on a landlocked site and has limited scope for expansion.
“A recent review of the academy highlighted a significant shortage of classrooms that met expected capacity requirements, in particular, a lack of capacity for specialist spaces to deliver subjects such as engineering, construction and performing arts.
“Demolition of the current civic centre building would provide an opportunity for the new school building to enhance the school’s existing hearing impairment integrated resource base and deliver improved outcomes more widely for children with SEND.”
Cabinet members have also been asked to agree to spend £1.5m to demolish the building and prepare the site for development.
The land would then be transferred to Castleford Academy Trust by the end of March next year.
The 700-capacity centre opened in 1970 and has been used to host concerts and weddings, while more than 300 council staff were also based at the centre on Ferrybridge Road.
The council had considered selling off the building since 2023 to bridge a budget shortfall.
Last summer, the authority said the building could not be sold during the 2024-25 financial year and would remain in public ownership until at least the end of March this year.
The Assembly Hall, the main function room for events at the site, was closed in October.
Last July, community groups sent an open letter to council leaders calling for the centre to be saved.
It was signed by organisations including Castleford Young Musicians, Encore Theatre Company and Castleford Male Voice Choir.
However, the council said it had to take the “difficult decision” to put the building on the market in a bid to ensure its finances were “sustainable”.