Kimberworth school campaigners fight on as roof comes off

Demolition starts on the old Kimberworth Primary School

Rotherham Borough Council decided to demolish the old Kimberworth Infants without consulting the community.

And the roof of the building, which RMBC wants as a car park, was taken off between Christmas and the new year.

Campaigner Roger Wainwright, a former pupil at the school, said: “Looking at it now, it’s beyond sadness.

“It makes me want to cry when I walk past it because we’ve lost another part of Rotherham’s heritage.

“I just think it’s council vandalism because it was a beautiful little building which could have been saved.”

He added: “They didn’t even take a break between Christmas and new year. You’ve just got the rafters showing now.”

Mr Wainwright and fellow campaigner Alan Fox met with MP Sarah Champion and plan to contact the local government ombudsman. They were unhappy that the decision was made to get rid of the school without residents being informed.

They say it would have had potential as a community hub for Kimberworth. The council has said that it had not declared the site surplus to requirements — but decided it did not need the building.