Formby's abandoned and fire-hit Clarence High School to be torn down for new Redrow homes
A former school building is set to be demolished as part of plans for a new housing development.
Clarence House in Formby was once rated as a ‘Good’ school in its last Ofsted inspection, but was closed down in 2018 after its owners cited ‘financial pressures.’
Clarence High School on West Lane was operated by Nugent Care, and provided educational placements for girls and boys aged seven to 19 years old, with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and who may also experience associated difficulties, including those on the autistic spectrum.
Since its closure, the school has been left abandoned and remained empty for the last seven years. The site has been subject to much speculation among the local community, especially after two fire-related incidents – one in 2023 and the latest on Thursday September 11, 2025.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) confirmed crews were called to the former school site last Thursday night, after being alerted to a blaze at 7:47pm. Firefighters arrived to find a school theatre building ‘well alight’, affecting an area approximately 50 x 20 metres in size, according to a MFRS spokesperson.
The spokesperson added: “Fire crews worked through the night into the early hours of Friday September 12 to bring this incident to a close.
“MFRS personnel used one aerial appliance to hotspot and damp down the roof structure before making up their equipment.
“Firefighters liaised with the responsible person and completed an external handover before leaving at 1.40am.”
In planning documents linked to the site, the LDRS found the buildings are scheduled for demolition as part of a new housing scheme which has proposed 89 new dwellings on the land to the west and east of West Lane in Formby.
The planning application was submitted by Redrow Homes Limited in September 2023 which was subject to an appraisal by Sefton Council’s planning committee in December 2024, before final approval was granted in May 2025.
As part of the application, the Clarence House building, which once housed hundreds of pupils, will demolished and the land cleared for the new housing development.
Redrow Homes Limited were approached for comment.