'Beautiful' historic school to be demolished - for car parking spaces

The former Kimberworth Infant School building will be bulldozed by cash-strapped Rotherham Borough Council to save £40,000-a-year maintenance costs plus its £400,000 repair bill. 

The building, which dates back to 1913, was home to council social care staff before they recently relocated to Riverside House.

The council said the building would need “significant investment” and moving staff had given them the opportunity to use the space better.

But resident Roger Wainwright (64), a former pupil at the infant school, said locals were “up in arms” about the demolition and he believed the building was “in very good condition”.

He said: “The council are determined to demolish an old building, but haven’t offered it for community use — it will become a car park or something.

“A council officer told me it would be demolished in September.

“Everybody is up in arms, it’s part of Kimberworth heritage.

“We have had three chapels demolished in three years.

“We are going to try and stop it — my neighbour said he would stand in front of the bulldozer.”

Mr Wainwright, who lives opposite the school, said he had contacted ward councillors Ian Jones and Eve Rose-Keenan who had agreed the building was a “fabulous community asset”.

He added: “Eve said she was shocked to hear it was coming down.

“The first we saw was the notice of method of demolition about four weeks ago — we want to try and save a perfectly good building.”

A council spokeswoman said the building would cost £500,000 to repair and maintain, with an immediate spend of £400,000.

Operationally, it cost £40,000 per year to run, she said.

Paul Woodcock, the council’s assistant director for planning, regeneration and transportation, said: “For a number of years, the building had been used by Rotherham Council and the NHS for the provision of services for children and young people’s health, social and special education needs.

“The building is in a very poor state and would require a significant investment to repair and maintain. 

“Given this, council social care workers recently relocated to Riverside House, presenting an opportunity to utilise the empty building space to provide much-needed car parking spaces for the remaining services on-site.”