AN APPLICATION has been submitted to remove a potentially unsafe chimney and rotten turret from a Grade-II listed building.

The structures on the stables building part of Hexham's former Queen Elizabeth Grammar School complex, in Hallgate, Hexham, are in bad repair, and applicants M&G Reed, of Alston, want Listed Building Consent to remove them.

While the old property is in good structural condition overall, with stone walls and Welsh slate roof, the chimney is an addition to the original building and is of pale buff brickwork with leadwork forming a gutter behind it where water accumulates and seeps into the main fabric of the building.

The application reads: "The original stables would not have a fireplace and the added fireplace is not used although the feature is kept in the coffee house. The chimney is leaning and will soon become structurally unsafe with the risk of it falling over.

"The turret is probably an original feature allowing ventilation to the first floor hay loft of the former stables. It is in a poor condition with rotten timbers and perished leadwork and these are the cause of the water ingress.

"The proposal is to remove the chimney and roof turret and slate over in matching Welsh blue slates to eliminate the risk of further water ingress affecting the building and finishes."