Trust needs to find £10m for historic school plan

A charitable trust needs to find £10m in funding to transform a former grammar school or the council will sell it on.

Earlier this week, North Yorkshire Council gave the go-ahead for the Richmond Grammar School building to be transferred to Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust.

In order to redevelop the site into a community facility, the trust needs to secure funding.

Deputy council leader Gareth Dadd said the council was committed to working with the trust but it was "the last option for the site" and would be sold on if the project "did not progress".

At a meeting of the council's executive on Tuesday, leaders were told the full redevelopment would cost almost £10m, although the building could be partly reopened with less money while the remainder of funds were sought.

Approving the transfer of the building, Dadd said the decision was a "major milestone for Richmond and the surrounding area".

He added: "The go-ahead to transfer the building to the trust fits into our vision for the whole county to bring opportunities and boost the local economy for our communities."

However, councillors agreed that if sufficient funding was not found, the property - valued at £370,000 - would be sold off, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Grade II listed building was founded as a school in the 14th century with former pupils including Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll.

A previous attempt to redevelop the site, which closed in 2011, failed after a rejected lottery funding bid.

The trust's chief executive officer, Chris Brown, said the development would offer "exciting new experiences" for the area and pledged to explore "all avenues available" to raise the money.

"We will now work tirelessly to bring to life the site for the benefit of Richmond and the wider region," he said.

"We know people are eager to see the building restored to its former glory as it holds fond memories for many people in our community and is a famous site in Richmond."

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