THE former Lowfield School site, which was devastated by fire last year when it was the temporary home for York High School, looks set to be demolished to stop future vandalism attacks.

City leaders are being asked to approve the demolition at their next meeting, on December 15. The building, in Dijon Avenue, was hit by the fire in October last year, only months before it was due to close anyway. City of York Council had planned to sell the site as soon as the school moved to its new site in Cornlands Road, but postponed its plans until the property market improved. Now, the ruling executive will be asked to approve plans to knock down the derelict buildings with a view to selling the site in 2010 or early 2011, depending on the market.

A council spokeswoman said: “The cost of demolishing the buildings could be re-couped by an increased sale price for the land, which would be ready to develop straight away. It’s also hoped that demolishing the buildings would put an end to vandalism on the site.”

The site will be sold with a development brief to guide potential developers on suitable uses for the land.