‘The Grammar’ – Community Asset or White Elephant?
To be clear from the outset, the refurbished ‘Grammar’ is certainly a magnificent improvement on the semi-derelict Heanor Grammar School from which it has evolved. Nobody could honestly take issue with the quality of workmanship and although some may question the use of contrasting brickwork in some places, this a matter of taste rather than quality.
The question is; ‘Now What/’
A number of ex-pupils of the Grammar school, having toured around the inside of the building, have remarked that, internally, little seems to have changed in terms of format and it largely looks like an updated 1950s school. Surely, the internal design should have reflected the purpose to which the buidling was to be put?
And there lies the rub. After over a decade of lobbying, planning and commissioning there appears to be no clear strategy as to how to put this very expensive project to good use. Although expressions of interest were canvassed with apparently a significant number of responses – were these followed up? Certainly not in all cases!
Rumours abound (or maybe more than rumours?) that Derbyshire County Council may move their offices from Matlock to the Grammar in Heanor. Now from a DCC perspective, that seems like a good idea. They had already made the decision to move out of the somewhat bleak, rambling Matlock offices, and moving to a refurbished building in Heanor surely ticks most of the boxes not least in terms of cost. Although this may no longer be the case?
But just a minute – wasn’t a principle tenet of the bid for Government funding that the building would be a community asset open to the community? The idea of the Grammar becoming Council offices has certainly caused a sense of humour failure among a significant number of Heanor residents. Again maybe a rumour; it has been suggested that the hall could be made available for community use at weekends.
So is that what it has come to? £8.6 million spent to bring a building back into community use for 2 days per week (always assuming that uses can be found for it for those periods)?
When this was queried with an AVBC councillor they replied that: ‘ We can’t afford it without letting (leasing?) to DCC. Didn’t anyone think to consider the oncosts (i.e. to costs to the Amber Valley taxpayer) when embarking on this project?
Now the DCC opportunity may be serendipitous and so Heanor could gain a quite attractive ‘monument’ at no additional cost to the taxpayer beyond the £1.6 million that AVBC have already splashed out on it. But a masterstroke of strategic thinking it isn’t.
And we still seem to be stuck with the unspeakably ugly derilict old science block since there are apparently no funds available to demolish it. Just a thought, but why not do a Grenfell Tower and cover the building with a wrap around banner?
So is the Grammar an asset to the Heanor community or a white elephant?
It’s too soon to tell but even those who fear the latter must hope that it’s the former.
