New specialist school to open inside disused fire control centre in Wakefield
Wakefield Council is putting one point six million pounds into making the Paragon Business Village site ready for pupils.
A new specialist school for 120 is opening in Wakefield, taking over a £14m Fire Control Centre that was built and never used.
Wakefield Council is putting one point six million pounds into making the Paragon Business Village site ready for pupils.
It's part of a bigger plan to improve support for children with special needs across the area.
Vicky Schofield, the council’s corporate director for children and young people, said:
“This investment of capital funds is an important step forward to improving specialist provision for families in our district.
“It means better outcomes for our families, with access to high-quality education and reduced reliance on high-cost out-of-area placements."
“By spending now, we will create more places in our district, mitigate budget pressures and improve the financial sustainability of the local education system.”
David Williams, FBU secretary for Yorkshire and the Humber, said:
“It was an expensive white elephant at the time and it has been an expense to the taxpayer in the years since.
“We should not have to continue to foot the bill for an empty shell of a building.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson previously said:
“The Wakefield Regional Fire Control Centre is currently vacant and the department is exploring options for its future use.
“We are determined to keep the costs associated with these buildings to a minimum.”