The best way of securing the upkeep of historic buildings is to keep them in active use.  The best use will very often be the use for which the building was originally designed. The continuation of that use should certainly be the first option when the future of a building is considered. However there may be instances where the degree of remodelling required is beyond that found acceptable to the local conservation officer and English Heritage.

In these situations where redevelopment for educational purposes has been ruled out, every effort should then be made to find a new use. The aim should be to obtain the best return consistent with Government policies for protecting the historic environment. This may mean accepting less than the highest price for the building if the outcome promotes the economic, social or environmental well-being of an area. There are many examples where the reuse of an historic building has acted as a catalyst for the economic and social regeneration of an area.

Where school use is no longer an option, school buildings can be adapted for a variety of new uses. Residential conversion is often most favoured as this traditionally has delivered the highest capital receipts, however, issues such as vehicle movements, privacy and overlooking need careful attention.

Approvals for any disposals must be sought from the Secretary of State under Schedule 22 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This includes land as well as buildings. Where development is proposed on playing fields, then early consultation must be held with Sport England to ensure the sport provision is maintained or enhanced. The DfE has published guidance in the form of ‘The Protection of School Playing Fields and Land for Academies’.

Can schools exist on the high street or in business parks?

Converting underused and vacant buildings into schools isn’t a new idea. Pre-schools, independent schools, further education colleges and universities have long employed adaptive reuse to meet their estate needs, turning office buildings, factories, churches, retail units and even hospitals into schools. Adaptive reuse is not common practice however, in the schools sector. The desire to start with a clean slate, the unknowns associated with renovating older buildings, the need to meet strict design standards, and Building Bulletin 98 space standards limit its popularity.

If the promise to rebuild or substantially refurbish every school in England is to be fulfilled, then radical new solutions are required.

Potential budget cutbacks, school overcrowding, unpredictable school place planning, lack of affordable land and inadequate capital funding are now changing the picture. Schools and communities are realising that adaptive reuse can bring more than just good new schools. Reuse can create valuable community resources from unproductive property, substantially reduce land acquisition and construction costs and help regenerate local communities by placing schools back in the centre instead of being located on the margins.

However there are still significant obstacles to overcome in achieving this degree of community regeneration. Town planning legislation requires complex change of use applications and there is often a conflict between national policy, that promotes integrated and sustainable communities, and local policy that emphasises the importance of highway and transportation impact.

School environmental standards need to be redrafted to reflect these new complex typologies whilst funding models need to be flexible enough to respond to the need to purchase properties with underwriting provided to support borrowing from new institutions that do not have the traditional covenant strengths funders require.

Ideas:

Breathing new life into community assets

• When considering a building for reuse or renewal, check:
• the building’s structural layout and its capacity to accommodate various learning styles and other required spaces and functions;
• the energy efficiency of the building’s walls, windows, and roof, and their capacity for upgrading;
• the building’s potential for meeting building, heath, safety, and accessibility requirements;
• the condition of mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems and their capacity for modification;
• for the presence of hazardous materials;
• the ability of the building and site to provide a safe and secure environment;
• the convenience and safety of the building’s location for the students and communities served, and all applicable property and facilities management issues.