The Coventry Society is very concerned about the condition of the Old Grammar School, which is shedding roof tiles only a few years after a £4.5 million restoration scheme.
The Old Grammar School is probably the city’s oldest building. The building, on the corner of Bishop Street and Hales Street, is run by CV Life, the Trust that runs the civic museums and sports centres in the city.
The building restoration was completed in 2015, but now roof tiles are falling off the building and the footpath around it has been fenced off. This requires people to walk in the road making that corner very busy and dangerous. All bookings for the Old Grammar School have been cancelled as there also seems to be remains of falling debris inside.
The Coventry Society was very supportive of the restoration scheme and put it forward for a Civic Voice Design Award, which received a highly commended plaque. We had hoped to hold our meetings there, but unfortunately the cost charged was beyond our means.
The Society has passed on its concerns to the City Council and CVLife and we understand that the Trust is undertaking a survey to ascertain what work needs to be done to the roof.
Beyond the issue of repairing the roof, there is a need for a plan to increase the level of use of the building and making it affordable for use by local community groups.