West Bromwich pupils to have lessons in ambulance station

Pupils will be taught in a former West Bromwich ambulance station as a school battles to create extra places due to a baby boom.

Sandwell Council is putting in an offer on the former station on Hargate Road, to give it enough room to extend the neighbouring Hargate Primary School.

Now a decision has been made to adapt the building into a teaching block – rather than demolish the site and rebuild a new extension. Education councillor Bob Badham made the decision at private meeting last week.

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust announced in May that they were putting the station along with four others in the Black Country on the market as part of ongoing cost-saving measures.

Sandwell Council has now revealed it has made an offer for the station, which is on Hargate Road. The station was put on the market for £235,000.

The site is located next to Hargate Primary School, which has been identified as a school that could be expanded to take additional pupils in response to the increased birth rate across the borough.

The Hateley Heath ward has been identified as an area where birth rates have significantly risen, and the expansion will enable the school to convert from a one- form entry to a two-form entry. Over a seven-year period this will create an additional 210 places.

Councillor Badham said: "We have had meetings with officers and what we are going to do is use the ambulance building and convert it into teaching space.

"We have looked at it and it will save us money in the long term because we haven't got to construct any new buildings.

"It will just be a case of adapting the buildings so that we can get an extra form of entry into the school. The actual ambulance station will become part of the school. We feel it is going to be viable."

The sale of West Bromwich Ambulance Station along with those in Bilston, Fallings Park, Penn and Tettenhall are expected to generate up to £835,000.

In January it was announced that Wombourne, Stourbridge, Oldbury, Cradley Heath and Halesowen ambulance stations will also be sold off, generating £755,000.

By Lisa Wright