A special needs school in Ridgewell will move from the village into a historic pub.

Exceptional Ideas Ltd, which runs independent Teaseldown School in Mill Road, was given permission to change the Brewery Tavern pub, in Braintree Road, Wethersfield, into a school after councillors deliberated at a planning meeting on Tuesday.

The pub, which closed about five years ago, will be used as a school for three years teaching nine pupils with social communication difficulties.

It is planned that the Teaseldown School site, which started up as a school in 2009, will close.

A design and access statement submitted as part of the application said the exterior of the pub building will remain unchanged.

See this week's Halstead Gazette for the full story.