Former school caretaker homes in Wolverhampton to be sold for combined £690k

Properties at Claregate, Fallings Park and Perry Hall primary schools are no longer in use and are due to be marketed for sale following a consultation.

The local authority owns 38 caretaker houses that previously served schools across the city.

Some of the houses have been leased to schools when they have converted to academies, whilst others have been declared surplus due to schools not requiring caretaking staff or managers on site.

In a report to the council’s cabinet resources panel, head of assets Luke Dove said: “The properties are a mixture of bungalows, semi-detached and detached houses, with the majority either within the school boundary or adjacent to them. There are several other caretaker properties in the city that are also surplus to educational requirements, but due to their position within the school site render themselves unviable for disposal.

“Where these properties are not suitable for disposal, the buildings would remain vacant, which could encourage vandalism and anti-social behaviour. If left unoccupied for an extensive period, the condition of the buildings deteriorates rapidly and the only alternative would inevitably be demolition.

“Claregate primary, in Claregate,  has a semi-detached house outside the school boundary but adjacent to its entrance at the head of a cul-de-sac. The house was vacated in August 2021 when the site manager retired, and the governing body agreed the new manager would not require the house as part of the post.

“The school would have liked to retain the property for conversion and reuse for educational purposes, but following a feasibility study and discussion with planning this is not an option. Similarly, the semi-detached house adjacent to the entrance to Fallings Park primary, Low Hill, has been vacant since the site manager retired and is in the process of being transferred to city assets,” he added.

“Perry Hall Primary School in Wednesfield has a detached house next to the school entrance but outside its boundary. It was transferred to the Perry Hall Multi-Academy Trust upon conversion to an academy as part of the lease, but has been vacant for a while as the trust now wishes to surrender the lease.”

The value of the three properties is as follows: Claregate (£210,000), Fallings Park (£180,000), Perry Hall (£300,000).

The move is due to be approved by the council’s cabinet resources panel next Wednesday.