Application to remove "potential danger" at historic school site
School’s Listed status means permission is needed to remove failing structure
Permission is being sought to remove a structurally-unsound outbuilding to reduce “risk to pupils, staff and visitors” at a historic Dearne area primary school.
The brick outbuilding is thought to have been constructed as a coal store at Elsecar Holy Trinity Primary School, some time after the original school and master’s house were built in 1852.
Permission is needed because of the school’s Listed building status.The school complex is deemed a heritage asset, but the store - effectively a ‘lean-to’ construction abutting an original stone boundary wall, is said to be of less historical importance than the original school and house combination.
The application to remove it would, planning papers state, remove a potential safety risk, but would involve the retention of the boundary wall.
In recent years, the building has been used for storage, but a survey has revealed a catalogue of problems, including instability in the walls and insufficient support above an entrance door.
The roof is constructed from Yorkshire stone slabs, which have now moved, to become uneven, and would be removed.
A report to Barnsley Council states: “The condition of the building means that it is beyond reasonable repair and presents a potential safety risk.
“The demolition will be undertaken carefully to avoid unnecessary damage to the retained was and other historic fabric.
“The work will be carried out by appropriately experienced contractors.
“The outbuilding is not specifically identified in the statutory list description and is considered to have limited heritage value in comparison with the principal Listed buildings and the historic boundary wall.
“Its materials, form and appearance indicate that is a later ancillary structure which has undergone alterations and deterioration.
“Its removal is justified by its poor structural condition and the risk it presents to site users.
“Retaining the building would require substantial intervention and reconstruction, which would not be proportionate to its heritage value and would not provide a satisfactory long-term solution.”
The school is next to Elsecar Holy Trinity Church, in Church Street, and dates from the era of the the Fitzwilliam family’s coal-mining empire, when Elsecar thrived as a community driven by the Industrial Revolution.