Multi-million pound project at two primary schools set to proceed amid fears ‘roofs may collapse’
A £6 million project to address roof corrosion concerns at two Sutton Coldfield schools has been given the green light.
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Buildings at Coppice Primary and Langley Special Schools have experienced multiple leaks due to “significant corrosion” in some areas, a council report said.
Councillor Mick Brown, Birmingham City Council cabinet member for children, young people and families, told a meeting this week that patch repairs had been carried out – but this had not solved the problem.
He said an investigation found ventilation beneath the zinc roofs was not sufficient and a build-up of condensation was causing the corrosion.
“Various areas of cladding are defective,” he said.
“There’s a requirement for works to the roof to be undertaken to ensure a safe environment for the education of pupils.”
Langley is a primary special school which moved to a purpose-built site, shared with Coppice, in 2009.
The council report said the option to continue with ad-hoc repairs to patch the roofs at the site, as and when leaks appear, was considered.
“This was rejected on the basis of the health and safety risk the roofs may collapse, causing the school to close and incur more costs than this replacement project,” it continued however.
“There are underlying issues which can only be addressed as part of the whole roof replacement.”
The report continued that due to the nature of the planned works, a temporary accommodation would be required as part of the project.
At the meeting this week, cabinet members agreed to approve the full business case and project costs for the roofing and cladding replacement works, which would not exceed £6,209,262.
The full business case was previously approved by cabinet in May last year – at the time, the project costs were just over £3m.
“However, the project timeline and project costs have changed and therefore we are resubmitting this project to cabinet,” Councillor Brown said.
The report added that the project was planned to start in June 2025, with completion set for August 2027.
The project costs will be funded from the School Condition Allocation Grant.
