The Site
The site contains four principal buildings: the main school building, a separate additional classroom block, a kitchen and canteen, and a caretaker’s house. These buildings are supplemented by three significant outside spaces: a large playing field, a hard-standing former playground, and a medium sized grassed area adjacent to the kitchen and canteen.
The aim will be to retain and conserve the key features and the special identity of the main building through sensitive conversion for community use. This will be achieved by adopting a phased approach to the redevelopment to enable us to bring on-stream initial income generation opportunities, whilst allowing sufficient time to raise appropriate funding for the more capital intensive aspects of the development.
Stage One
Though it has not been possible to have a full survey carried out, we have had the building examined by a surveyor provided by the PSG and have had access to the survey carried out in 2004 by RCBC. It is planned to have a full pre-acquisition survey carried out by an English Heritage Certified RICS surveyor in the event that RCBC agree to the CAT in principle.
The conclusions of the surveyor and informed members of our sub-committee is that the main building is in good condition, given it has been standing empty and water ingress has only been detected in one room. It would therefore be our intention to carry out relatively minor alterations to rooms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10 & 10A, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32†. We have allocated in our budget a sum of £5,000 for each of these rooms, with much of the manual labour being carried out by a concerted program of community action and volunteers.
As well as these interior alterations, it will also be possible to commit to continuation of existing youth sporting activities that have been undertaken on the site, in particular the junior football programmes.
Stage Two
This will consist of bringing online three principal rooms 6, 7 & 8 and 21 & 21A. These three rooms all require specific funding beyond the basic £5,000.00 allocated for the basic alterations to rooms. It is intended for this funding to be in place by year two so that this aspect of the project can be commenced.
Stage Three
Lasting three years, stage three will commence in the third year of the project and continue until the fifth. It will consist principally of dealing with the youth hostel accommodation assigned to the old kitchen and dining block. It will also introduce the proposed skate park, once funding has been secured and adequate time has been given to exploring all of the potential issues surrounding this aspect of the project.
This stage will also be targeted for commencing work on room 18, which will house the set construction and proposed woodworking studio targeted at people with learning disabilities. This is expected to be a partnership with Upsall Hall and will require specific capital investment and funding. If direct funding for this aspect of the project can be achieved in advance of the third year it will be brought forward.
Continue to Caretaker’s House