Plans have been approved to demolish a former Bury secondary school, in order to allow housing to be built on the site.
Demolition work is set to begin at the former Radcliffe High School site, after Bury Council's planning committee gave the proposals the green light.
A report to councillors, said that the intentions for the site go back more than 10 years.
It said: "The application site relates to 2.3 hectares of land which formally comprised Radcliffe High School site and its grounds.
"The main school building has long since been demolished and the northern part of the site redeveloped into Millwood School, for children with special educational needs.
"This was granted planning permission in 2010.
"As part of that application, permission was also granted in outline to develop the southern part of the site for a residential development which was not implemented.
"The site is surrounded by a builders yard to the north, the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal to the west and established residential development to the south and east.
"The application relates to demolition, clearance, remediation and enabling works on the remaining school area."
Access to and from the site will be at the existing School Street entrance.
The site is council-owned and forms part of their 'first phase housing' sites package for future residential re-development.
The council has been awarded a brownfield land grant from Greater Manchester Combined Authority to clear the site for its future development.
The grant is time constrained and needs to be spent by March 31, in order to secure the funding.
Objections to the plans were received from residents at four neighbouring homes.
One objection claimed that wildlife has flourished at the site as it has been vacant so long.
It stated: "During that time the trees and plants have grown much bigger and the area has also become home to a lot of wildlife, foxes and birds in particular.
"The clearance works will destroy the homes of these animals and there appears to be no survey work done to assess how the clearance can be managed sympathetically."
Council officers said that prior to any earthworks, the ecological value of the site in biodiversity will be submitted to the planning authority.
Councillors also agreed that efforts will also be made to save a 'high quality' mature tree on the site which was earmarked for felling in the plans.
