FOUR developers are interested in redeveloping a 100-year-old foundation building at a Cleckheaton school, according to campaigners.

A group trying to save the original part of the Whitcliffe Mount School building appealed for interested developers to come forward earlier this month in a last ditch attempt.

The building is due to be demolished along with later additions once a wider scheme to provide a replacement school building on the site is completed.

But despite the interest from developers, The Whitcliffe Petitioning Group fears its efforts could be too late after learning that a key clause would need to be altered before August 25 in order to prevent demolition of the 1910 block.

The land on which the foundation building stands is owned by the school trust. It will shortly be swapped for land owned by the Council on the same site, but following a cabinet decision in 2013 the land must be handed over in a developable state – and be “unfettered by buildings”.

It is this clause that would need to be altered.

Protestor Paul Graves said: “We have been approached by four developers that are interested in redeveloping/refurbishing the Whitcliffe Mount foundation building and we have put them in touch with the Council.

“However, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) has subsequently informed us that to stop the demolition Kirklees Council would have to contact the Secretary of State for Education and request that the clause they insisted on adding to the contract, that the land be handed to them ‘unfettered by buildings’, be removed.

“The EFA has also confirmed that the Council would have to do this before the 25th August, as this is the date that the building will be handed over to Laing O’Rourke.

“No further changes to the contract can take place once this hand over takes place.”

The group managed to gather 4,000 signatures and presented a petition to Kirklees Council last month.

This has triggered a debate at the next full meeting of the authority on September 13 - which it now appears is too late.

Fellow campaigner Julie Mitchell added earlier: “We care about the foundation building, we know how strongly people in Kirklees feel about it being knocked down, and we will do all we can to prevent it.”

The main teaching block next to the current school building has been built and staff and pupils will transfer over ready for its opening in September – allowing demolition of the old buildings to begin.

A Council spokesman said: “The Council is obligated to debate any petition that meets the criteria, as such the petition is scheduled to be presented at the next full council meeting in September.

“The construction of the new school and demolition of the existing buildings is being managed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency which is working in contract with Laing O’Rourke.

“Details of the project including timescales are the responsibility of the ESFA and only it will be able to say whether work will begin on the demolition before the council meeting or not.”