THE construction of two new schools for Hexham at a cost of £36.1m is still on schedule for completion in September 2021.

But the second phase of the project - to demolish the old buildings and create a new bus park - will not be finalised until April 2022.

The major scheme is one of several capital projects, led by Northumberland County Council, which have suffered delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Coun. Derek Kennedy, who represents Hexham West on Northumberland County Council, said the delay to the bus park could lead to safety issues.

He explained: "I can understand why there has been delays, but this is something we will need to think about very carefully.

"The buses will need to park somewhere which is safe for the children and that is the most important factor.

"There is time to put some serious thought into this and we need to ensure safety as well as avoiding any traffic disruption."

Pupils are set to move into the new schools in Hexham in September 2021.

Planning permission for the ambitious scheme, which will see Hexham Middle and Queen Elizabeth High pupils all located on the current high school site, was granted back in January of this year.

The scheme will see the retention and refurbishment of the Grade II listed Hydro building, and Westfield House, with new buildings constructed to the south and north of them.

There will also be new access points, car parking, bus parking and landscaping, including a new community garden area.

In August, the county council acknowledged that the scheme had overcome challenges posed during the early stages of lockdown relating to sub-contractor availability and supply chains.

An update on the county council’s capital programme was presented to the Monday, October 12, meeting of the authority’s corporate services committee.

The report said: “A number of capital schemes have been delayed as a result of lockdown and the furloughing of staff by both external design consultants and contractors.

“Some major projects did continue on site, albeit at a slower rate due to social-distancing measures and a reduction in the workforce on site.

“The council has fully supported contractors returning to site as soon as it was safe to do so with the necessary Covid-19 risk assessments in place and is now looking to accelerate projects wherever possible.”

The report explained that across the county, almost £24.5million was spent up to July 31, including £7.3million on transport schemes, and £10.2million on school buildings including new schools at Morpeth and Ponteland, £1.5million on leisure facilities and £915,000 on the council’s housing stock.

However, an overall underspend of £67.8million is being forecast across the 2020-21 capital programme.

Other schemes where spending is being shifted from the current year into 2021-222 include the refurbishment of the council’s County Hall headquarters, at Morpeth.