REPORT FOR DECISION Agenda item no:

Rochdale Township Committee November 2011

Report of Customers and Communities

Demolition of Hill Top School and Rochdale Borough Training Unit

Wards affected: Balderstone & Kirkholt Report Author: Vivienne Hall

Telephone: (01706) 924119

1. It is recommended that:

1.1 Approval be given for the demolition of former Hill Top School and the former Rochdale Borough Training Unit – both situated on Hill Top Drive, Kirkholt.

2. Reasons for recommendation:

2.1 The current lease to , for the use of both buildings as filming locations for the TV series, expires on 31 st January 2012. SHED Productions have informed the Council that they are re-locating the filming of this programme to Scotland and they will not be seeking renewal of their lease when it expires.

2.2 The Hill Top school site is a key re-development area within the approved regeneration plan for the Kirkholt neighbourhood (the “Ideas for Change” masterplan).

2.3 Leasing of the site to SHED Productions was always a temporary use for the site, (and had the great advantage of keeping the site safe and secured), until the re- development phase for the Hill Top area of Kirkholt was reached.

2.4 More detailed masterplanning of key intervention areas during 2010/11 demonstrated that the Hill Top site is now attracting interest from housing developers and is a priority for the next stage of the clearance programme.

2.5 The size of the two buildings, and the amount of open land surrounding them, makes this an exceptionally difficult and costly site to secure. During their tenure as lessees of the site SHED Productions have maintained extremely tight 24 hour a day security, which will be withdrawn as soon as they depart. The site is

1 not overlooked and is difficult to monitor which will make the empty buildings a high risk for break-ins and arson.

3. Alternatives considered:

3.1 The alternatives for this site are – • Do not demolish the building - Not recommended No use can be identified for the buildings in the short to medium term. If not demolished they would be empty, incurring costs for security, and presenting a high health and safety risk. It would not be appropriate to seek a use for the buildings in the longer term because the site is identified as part of the approved clearance programme for the implementation of the Kirkholt regeneration plan. The buildings have no physical heritage value, (as determined by the Kirkholt Heritage Assessment of 2008), and are currently in poor condition. • Start demolition of the building as soon as SHED Productions vacate the premises - Recommended Option The current occupiers are expected to vacate the building during January 2012. Under the arrangements for ending the lease, SHED Productions will pay the Council a fee towards the demolition costs. This makes it possible to clear the site in the early part of 2012 at minimal cost to the Council, whereas funding to demolish on this site in future years may be unavailable.

4. Consultation undertaken/proposed:

4.1 Extensive consultation on the re-development of the Hill Top Drive area of Kirkholt, including the clearance of the Hill Top School site, was carried out by the Vision for Kirkholt Project between 2005 and 2011. During these consultations the proposals for the complete re-development of the Hill Top School site, (once the lease with SHED Productions had finished), were welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Kirkholt residents.

5. Main text of report:

5.1 Former Hill Top School and the former Rochdale Borough Training Unit are both situated on a site in-between Hill Top Drive and the M62 at Kirkholt. This very large site also includes several disused playing fields, carparks, and areas of open land, (see attached map).

5.2 Hill Top School, (which was originally built in the 1950s as a middle school) is a large, two story building. As a primary school, it closed to pupils in 2005 when the new Sandbrook Extended Community Primary School was completed.

5.3 In 2006 the Council agreed an annually renewable lease for the use of the school building and surrounding land with SHED Productions, (an independent film company which makes the Waterloo Road TV series). Since 2006 SHED Productions have renewed this lease each year, paying a fee of around £35, 000 for each lease period, and they have provided all the maintenance and security for the site.

2 5.4 The other building on the site, the Rochdale Borough Training Unit, was used as a post 16 training facility to run basic skills courses for young unemployed people which were provided by Rochdale Borough Training Services (RBTS). In 2009 RBTS finished their contract to provide these courses and the subsequent training provider did not wish to rent the Hill Top Training Unit as their base.

5.5 An arrangement was made for SHED Productions to add the use of the Rochdale Borough Training Unit building to their lease for the use of Hill Top School. Since then SHED Productions have taken responsibility for maintenance and security for both buildings and for the whole of the surrounding site.

5.6 The Hill Top school site is a key re-development area within the approved regeneration plan for the Kirkholt neighbourhood (the “Ideas for Change” masterplan). More detailed masterplanning of key intervention areas during 2010/11 demonstrated that the Hill Top site is now attracting interest from housing developers and is a priority for the next stage of the clearance programme.

5.7 As both buildings will be empty and without future uses from January 2012 this will be the optimum time to carry out the demolitions and prepare the site for housing re-development.

5.8 Under the arrangements for ending their lease, SHED Productions will pay the Council a fee towards the demolition costs. This makes it possible to clear the site in the early part of 2012 at minimal cost to the Council.

5.9 Previous feasibility work on the Hill Top site, carried out by the Vision for Kirkholt Programme, demonstrated that in order to be re-developed for residential housing the site would require a sound remission barrier. Previous recommendations suggested that a large bund, (possibly combined with acoustic fencing and landscaping) might be the most effective sound remission solution for this site.

5.10 Work to determine the size, positioning, and design for a sound remission barrier has been commissioned. If the demolition of the Hill Top buildings takes place in the early part of 2012 there is an ideal opportunity to use the crushed materials from the demolitions to construct the bund. This will present two significant advantages; firstly it will reduce the construction costs and, secondly, it will remove the need for wagons to transport all of the demolition debris away from the Hill Top site.

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3 6. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6.1 Under the arrangements for ending their lease on the buildings on the Hill Top site, SHED Productions will pay the Council a fee of £40,000 towards demolition costs. Initial estimates for the costs of clearing the site indicate that this fee is likely to be sufficient to cover the work and that there will be no need to identify funding from Council budgets.

7. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no legal implications

8. RISK ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS

8.1 There are no specific risk issues for members to consider arising from this report.

9. EQUALITIES IMPACTS

9.1 Workforce Equality Impacts Assessment

There are no (significant) workforce equality issues arising form this report.

9.2 Equality/Community Impact Assessments

There are no (significant) equality/community issues arising form this report.

For further Information and Background Papers: For further information about this report or access to any background papers please contact Tel:

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