People living near an old Nottingham education facility that has been empty for three years say they don't want it to become housing as the council begins looking at future uses for the site. The Thorneywood Education Base was located in Fairmead Close, St Ann's, but shut in 2019 after one of its key services moved to Sherwood.
The Hospital and Home Education Learning Centre, providing teaching for children and young people with health needs, had been operating out of Thorneywood before making the move to Sherwood. Since then, the large building has been vacant and Nottingham City Council is now looking to officially declare it "surplus to operational requirements".
The council has backed the decision and as long as this is also given the green light by government, the premises would be given to the authority's Director of Economic Development and Property to determine the best use for it. Ann Wolff, 49, has lived in her property by the former education base for 28 years.
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She said: "The roads around here are crammed as it is so I don't think it could be housing. Parking and access were the only problems we really used to have when it was the education centre and it did used to cause a lot of upset.
"I was only saying recently that we never really used to have many kids around here but since covid, we've now got five babies in the area. But there is nothing for the kids around here and so maybe if they put a park or something there that would be nice.
"It is a big site so they could even have some parking on there and open up a community centre. I'd imagine whatever they do though they'll have to be careful of the land around it as that is protected because we've got badgers, foxes and pipistelle bats there."
Gilda Banks, 82, who lives opposite the former education base, said: "I was a psychiatric nurse at the Mapperley Hospital and this building was where I actually trained and it is a beautiful building. If I was offered it and I had the money I would buy it myself.
"The children, parents and teachers who used to come here were such lovely people and it was a shame when they left so suddenly. I don't think you could have much housing there but if it was residential for no more than two couples, I think it would be lovely.
"At the moment it is all gated off and other than security people coming to check it, nothing is being done. It would just be nice for something to be done with it because even though it was about 40 years ago that I trained there now, I remember what a lovely place it was."
Another nearby resident, who did not want to be named, said she had lived near the old education base for 35 years. She said: "I do think it would be best left as a green space.
"We just don't want anything that is noisy because this is a nice, quiet area. It would also be good for the local wildlife if they kept it as a green space."
No decision has yet been made on the future of the site but a report from Jennifer Hardy, a project manager at Nottingham City Council, says declaring it as surplus to operational requirements could save the council £15,000 a year. This amount is currently spent on security at the site.
The report says: "Further options were considered including rental of the building to alternative providers and services. The decision not to hold the building in reserve for possible future educational purposes was made due to the high costs of reinstating services.
"It is no longer financially viable to hold on to a building where there are no direct educational requirements to do so." The Government has until September 15 to 'call-in' the council's decision if it wishes to overturn it.
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