Fresh lease of life for disused school thanks to £5.9m renovation

Clegg Construction has started work on a £5.9m renovation scheme to repurpose the derelict Maltby Grammar School near Rotherham into a community resource and education facility.

It is estimated that up to £1.25m will be pumped into the local economy after the business committed to use as many local sub-contractors, suppliers and enterprises as possible.

Pre-construction director, Ross Crowcroft, said: “Maltby Grammar School has played a pivotal role in the local community over many decades and the team at Clegg Construction is very pleased to be breathing new life into this historic building and giving it a future.

“This project will provide significant new facilities for the area in terms of learning and development.

“We are pleased to have now made a start on site and look forward to the renovation project progressing over the coming months.

“We have wide experience of working both within the heritage sector and the education sector, so this scheme is a perfect fit for our expertise at Clegg Construction.”

Built in the early 1930s, the school closed in 2012 and had fallen into a state of disrepair after being mothballed.

Maltby Learning Trust is now bringing the historic building back into use with plans which include the creation of incubator space for training and apprenticeships, bookable workspaces and serviced hot-desking, and start-up support for the leisure and hospitality sectors.

The re-purposed building will also extend Maltby Learning Trust’s Post 16 specialist facilities for students who attend Maltby Academy and Sir Thomas Wharton Academy sixth form provision.

Clegg Construction has just started work on site to refurbish the building and also to build a new steel frame extension in the existing courtyard to provide space for an exhibition hall.

David Sutton, chief executive officer of Maltby Learning Trust, said: “The works will see the old Grammar School building repurposed and will create a community resource that accommodates local services, supports wellbeing, employment and enterprise, and provides substantial learning opportunities for the Maltby community.

“This is an exciting time for us and this project will see us taking a building that hasn’t been occupied for nearly a decade and creating an inclusive multi-functional space that will host a series of community events and learning activities.”

The redevelopment project was part of a winning bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund secured by Rotherham Council, which focused on boosting the leisure and hospitality sectors in the area. The Levelling Up Fund will provide £4.5m towards the project.

Renovation is due to be completed at the end of this year.

Other companies working alongside Clegg Construction include Self Architects, engineer GCA Ltd and employer’s agent and project manager Cube.