School plan for mansion ruled out over costs.
Proposals to rebuild a historic building in a Sheffield park have been halted due to the “prohibitive” expense of restoration.
Sheffield City Council claimed it conducted a feasibility assessment to see if Meersbrook Hall might be converted into a special school.
In a letter to the Meersbrook Park Users Trust (MPUT), a council director stated that the project’s expenditures were “very high” and would swallow the majority of the city’s school capital budget.
The trust described the decision as “deeply disappointing” and urged the authority to find a new use for the building to prevent further deterioration over the winter.
The Grade II listed 18th Century palace was erected as a family home before being purchased by the Sheffield Corporation and converted into Meersbrook Park in 1887.
From 1890 to 1953, it hosted the Ruskin Museum before becoming the home of the city’s parks and recreation department.
The Heeley Trust, a Sheffield-based community organisation, moved into the building in 2016, however plans to use the area as a public facility failed, and the hall was closed.
Joe Horobin, Director of Integrated Commissioning at Sheffield City Council, stated in an update to MPUT that the original feasibility study was conducted to “determine the likely costs of renovation and adaptation to accommodate a special school.”
She stated that it was about suitability rather than a “further commitment from the possible provider or the council”.
“The costs of the work required were very high and would consume most of the capital budget for the city’s schools and is felt to be prohibitive,” she remarked.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, MPUT trustee Andy Kershaw stated that “the fact that the hall is not going to be brought back into productive use is deeply disappointing to us”.
He stated that visitors who frequent the park on a regular basis can observe the “deterioration of this historic and much-loved building, which is facing yet another winter without essential repairs and maintenance”.
Mr Kershaw said the group remained opposed to a private sale or any move which would take the hall out of council ownership.
“MPUT has merged with the friends of Meersbrook Hall and we’d like to understand whether there is support for a new specific MPUT Meersbrook Hall Working Group to continue working on trying to identify options for the future of the hall in partnership with the council.”
Ms Horobin said the council had been reviewing its approach to community asset management and the “potential for some community buildings to be transferred into community ownership”.
The Community Buildings policy is set to be approved “by the end of the year” and would require community organisations to submit a “comprehensive business plan” describing their ability to manage the building.
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