College looks to lease Grade II listed manor house

A Grade II listed Victorian manor house could be used by a neighbouring college.

Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust, which runs Hereford Sixth Form College, has put forward an application to make use of Churchill House in Venns Lane.

The trust said it was looking at a number of options, rather than seeking to develop new buildings.

Churchill House is owned by Herefordshire Council, but it has been boarded up since 2020.

It was home of the Churchill Gardens Museum until it closed in 2002 and after that it housed council offices and a training centre.

In March, Herefordshire Council awarded a contract for work on it worth up to £92,000, in order to "bring it back to a condition where it can be reoccupied".

The academy trust and the local authority are now discussing a possible lease arrangement.

The trust pointed out that while it has been empty, the building "has suffered from vandalism and a number of break-ins".

It has suggested putting up a 2m (6.5ft) high fence and automated gates, plus security cameras.

The trust's chief executive, Peter Cooper, said: "The college is really thriving, and rather than looking at new builds we are exploring different options for the future and seeing where we stand."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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