The campaign to save the old Frenchay Primary School building has been a success following news that South Gloucestershire Council will acquire the site for community use.
Councillors Liz Brennan and Ben Burton, Conservative ward members for Frenchay and Downend on South Gloucestershire Council, have been working with the council and members of the Frenchay Residents Association (FRA) to get the Grade II listed building reopened.
As a result, and following a decision agreed by the council in February, the building will be handed to the local community, with the intention of turning it into a combined nursery, community café and healthcare ‘drop in’ space.
Cllr Liz Brennan said: “This is largely the result of a brilliant campaign led by the Frenchay Residents Association, a group of volunteers who have shown just what can be achieved when local people work together for the greater good.
“This is a fantastic result for the local community and I would like to thank everybody who has helped to make it a reality.”
Adrian Collins, Chair of the Frenchay Residents Association, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this opportunity, which was first put together as a formal proposal back in the summer of 2020.
“Both Gordon Cole and Hugh Whatley on the FRA team have worked so hard on this project, and the community that will benefit from this owe them and Cllr Liz Brennan an awful lot.
“As grandparents with future generations in mind, we are delighted to have the support of SGC and so many officers. This facility will inspire the Frenchay community and particularly the new younger families who have joined us following the redevelopment of the old Frenchay Hospital site.”
A survey conducted by Liz and Ben last summer found that 97% of respondents preferred to see the old school converted for community use rather than be lost to speculative development. Turning the building into a nursery was a popular aspiration.
The building, which is owned by Trustees on behalf of the Diocese of Bristol, has been vacant since the school moved to its new premises in September 2023 and there were fears that it could be snapped up by housing developers.
