STUDENTS will be sharing their school grounds with a housing development after plans to turn old classrooms into homes were approved.

Old Stanbridge Hall, at Banbury School, Ruskin Road, is set to be turned into 72 apartments for over-55s, 43 parking spaces and a resource centre.

Last March, pupils moved out of dated Stanbridge Hall into a new £6.5m wing of the school, which included 28 classrooms, an upper school reception, office space and a new dining hall and social area.

Oxfordshire County Council sold the site to Barteak Developments and Housing 21, and now the 82-year-old building, part of a two-acre plot, it set to be transformed.

The council says it will not reveal the price until contracts have been signed next month. Money from the sale will be used to pay for the new wing.

Kieron Mallon, town, district and county councillor for Easington, said: “Where we could have had a big empty building falling apart, we said let’s get someone in there and re-use our old buildings.

“The school campus has moved further away from Stanbridge Hall so apart from kids walking to and from school, the school or apartments will not intrude on each other.

“This is a residential area of Banbury.”